What He Wants To Protect
by Bleis29
Summary: An accident during the training trip leads to an understanding between Naruto and the Kyūbi. With the help of a reluctant Fox and the teachings of a Sannin, the young jinchūriki will grow to become a true shinobi, protect his precious people, and find what will fill the hole in his heart. (slow-going NaruHina; rated M for violence and mature themes) DISCONTINUED, UP FOR ADOPTION
1. Jiraiya's Slip

**Hello there, and welcome to the first chapter of my first story ! English is not my native language, so except some grammatical errors.**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto.**

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It was a beautiful day in the Land of Fire. The sun was shining brigthly in the deep blue sky, with only a few fluffy white clouds floating here and there. And it was during this beautiful day that two people were travelling on the road, heading towards the North, out of the country.

The oldest of the two travellers was a tall man, with a mane of unruly and spiky white hair tied in a long ponytail and kept on the front by a horned hitai-ate made of steel and engraved with the kanji for « oil ». His attire consisted of a green kimono and matching pants, tied by a black belt, with a mesh shirt underneath, a red haori with two yellow circles on each side, traditional red geta, arm guards and a huge scroll that he was carrying on his back. On his face were red markings running down his eyes and a wart on the left side of his nose.

The youngest and, by a large margin, shortest, traveller was a thirteen year old blond boy, with bright blue eyes, three whiskers marks on each cheek, and a deficient fashion sense, as he was wearing a bright orange and blue jumpsuit, with a white collar, a white swirl on his left arm and a red whirlpool insigna on his back, orange pants with a shuriken holster and bandages on his right leg, and blue sandals.

Said boy, whose name was Uzumaki Naruto, was currently babbling about and pestering his travelling companion, Jiraiya of the Sannin, Toad Sage of the legendary Mount Myōboku and self-proclaimed Super Pervert, for a training session.

Currently, the two shinobi were on a two and a half years-long training trip, and they have been on the road for about a week. And, beside walking and camping, they still did nothing. Which was annoying Naruto greatly, resulting in the current situation.

"Dammit, Ero-Sennin! Teach me a justu! It's been a whole week and you still didn't teach me anything! I wanna train, ya know!"

Said Ero-Sennin didn't hear his student's angry demands, as he was deep in thought. One of the reasons Jiraiya took Naruto on this training trip was to help him controlling the power of the beast sealed inside of him.

Naruto was indeed a jinchūriki, a human containing a bijū, a living and conscious mass of chakra of immense power. The blonde boy was the container of the most powerful of them all, the Kyūbi, and because of it he was being hunted by a group of mercenary with unknown motives, composed of dangerous S-rank nukenin, the Akatsuki. If Naruto was able to use the power of the Kyūbi, he would be able to defend himself with more ease.

And thus, Jiraiya, who was the keeper of the key opening the seal that kept the Kyūbi in check, was wondering if, perhaps, opening said seal would make the control of the bijū easier for his blond student.

The risks were high : the little chakra he had felt during the month the Toad Sage trained Naruto before the finals of the Chūnin Exams had told him a lot : the beast's chakra was powerful, extremely so, but it also diffused a sinister feeling and a lot of killing intent in the air, which he suspected was the Fox's influence. Too much chakra and Naruto would probably lose control and become a rampaging berserker. But Jiraiya was confident in his student's ability to keep the Kyūbi in check if he opened the seal a bit : the boy may not be the brightest, but he had an unbreakable will.

Coming to a decision, Jiraiya stopped and turned towards Naruto. The boy, thinking that his master finally submitted to his (not) well thought argument for teaching him something cool, immediatly forgot his angry mood and brightened instantaneously. "Finally! You're going to teach me a kickass justu? I'll have it down in no time Ero-Sennin ! Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed while raising his fist with determination.

"Yes, I'm going to teach you something." said Jiraiya, "But it's not a jutsu."

"Huh? Then what is it? A new cool taijutsu move?" asked the boy with curiosity.

"Nope. Not that either. I'm going to teach you how to control the chakra of the Kyūbi."

Naruto's face turned to confused to somewhat fearful. He had used the chakra of the beast sealed inside of him several times, and, while he had felt the power flowing through his body, he also felt the demonic presence that was it carried, the presence that brought out his darkest emotions, urged him to kill his opponent and increased his animal impulses. He had always managed to keep his control over the Kyūbi, but it had been sometimes difficult, particularly during his fight against Sasuke at the Valley of the End. Trying to hide his nervousness behind a mask of confidence, Naruto flashed a big, toothy, but somewhat uneasy, smile.

"Huh... are you sure? I don't really need it ya know. I'm plenty strong by myself!"

Jiraiya was not fooled by his student's act. It was true that Naruto had a huge potential, but not using the Kyūbi was a huge waste. Besides, even with the most rigorous training in the world, two and a half years were not enough for Naruto to become strong enough to defend himself against the Akatsuki.

He _needed_ this power.

"I know you're scared..." at this remark, the blond knucklehead's mask fell and he looked down, "but I have faith in you. And I'm not the only one. The Yondaime Hokage too had faith in you when he sealed the Kyūbi inside of you." Jiraiya said to Naruto.

At the mention of his hero, the blond genin looked up to meet the Sage's confident grin.

"Besides, if you learn to control the Fox's chakra, you will most likely be able to resist its influence easily. And..." a perverted smile crepted its way on Jiraiya's face, "… imagine all the girls you could get when you'll boast about how you can control a demon's power! You'll have your own harem!"

Naruto's eyebrows started to twitch violently, and a vein was starting to pulse on his forehead.

"Stop daydreaming, you perv!" he yelled at his giggling master.

Jiraiya got his perviness under control, wiped his bleeding nose, and put on a serious face in stark contrast with the one he had earlier.

"It won't be easy, and with your current strength you probaby won't be able to use a large amount of demonic chakra, but this training will eventually make you extremely powerful. You may even surpass the Yondaime, if you manage to survive it, one day.", Jiraiya encouraged Naruto.

The Sage's boasting was all it took to erase Naruto's doubts and fears. With a renewed determination, the blond genin stood straight and stared straight into his teacher's eyes.

"I'll do it !" he proclaimed loudly, "I will control the Kyūbi's chakra and I will become strong enough to protect all my precious people and to bring Sasuke back! And then I will become Hokage! Believe it!"

Jiraiya smiled proudly at his student's proclamation. If there was one thing that Jiraiya liked, beside pretty women, it was people who had guts, and Naruto was truly a gutsy shinobi.

_'Just like Minato and Kushina...'_ the Toad Sage thought. But he couldn't tell Naruto about them. Not yet. It pained him to keep the boy's parentage from him, but his father had a lot of enemies that would like nothing more than to make sure that his line end for good. It was better to keep them in the dark, and given Naruto's loud mouth and light head, he didn't trust him to keep it a secret, he might let it slip sometime. The boy would have to mature a bit.

"Alright..." said Jiraiya. He then bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood, went through a series of hand seals so quickly that Naruto didnt caught it despite knowing the jutsu, and slammed his palm on the ground, "Summoning Technique!"

Smoke erupted from underneath Jiraiya's hand, and after it dissipated, a black and orange toad, with strange rings around his abdomen could be seen sitting on the ground, with an annoyed expression on his face.

"What do you want Jiraiya? If you summoned me of all toads, I guess it has to be somehting in relation with the Hakke no Fūin. Whatever it is, I think it's a bad idea." said the summoned toad.

"Hello to you too, Gerotora." responded Jiraiya, ignoring the toad's opinion, "I need you in order to open the seal a little bit. I want to see how much of the Kyūbi's chakra Naruto can handle."

"What?! So you finally lost it after getting beaten into a pulp countless times by the women you peeped on?! That's crazy Jiraiya!" The now named Gerotora croaked loudly. He then noticed Naruto, who had been silently following the exchange between the Sage and his summon with a curious face, "And you even summon me when the boy is right here! This is madness!"

"Calm down." said Jiraiya in an authoritative tone, "I'm sure the shrimp can resist a small dose of the Fox's chakra. But I still need to see where is limit is at. So give me the key."

The toad grumbled and continued to protest for a bit, but Jiraiya's seriousness and faith in his student's strength finally made Gerotora give up.

"Fine, fine... but I still have my doubts! I'm pretty sure something bad will happen, but since you want it so bad... here's your key!"

With that, the toads abdomen opened and, between the metallic rings, a large scroll started to appear and, when it stopped, it opened to reveal a complex sealing matrix, and a blank square above it. Jiraiya quickly took a peek at the formula before placing his right hand in the square, making his finger glow blue with chakra for a short time, before the scroll closed and Gerotora shrank to his normal size.

"There you have it. Now, I'm gone before I'm caught in whatever your experiment with the Fox is."

And, with no other form of goodbye, the toad disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Jiraiya turned towards Naruto, who was starting to get impatient.

"Are you done yet, Ero-Sennin? I wanna start my training someday, ya know!"

"Yeah, I got what I needed." said the Toad Sage, "We won't do that now in the middle of the road. There's an old keep not too far away from here, it'll be good enough to start your training and as a shelter for the night. Let's go."

* * *

After quickly setting camp in the ruins of the fortress mentionned by Jiraiya, the Sage and his student were now in the middle of the court, sitting in front of each other.

Jiraiya glanced at the determined face of Naruto. He could still see a small amount of fear in his blue eyes, but it wouldn't be enough to make him back down, the Toad Sage knew it. Nevertheless, he decided to give a few encouraging words before they started.

"I don't really know what you will go through when I open the seal, but I will repeat myself. I have faith in you. I am sure you have in you what is needed to keep the Kyūbi in check."

Hearing his teacher's compliment made Naruto grinned. "Don't worry Ero-Sennin! I won't disappoint you!"

Jiraiya could not help but smile. The blond midget in front of him would never back down from a challenge when he was motivated.

"I know that. Now show me your seal."

Obeying his master's command, Naruto lifted his jumpsuit and the shirt underneath to expose his bare stomach. Closing his eyes in focus, he started to mold chakra, making the Eight Trigrams Seal appear.

Furrowing his eyebrows in concentration, Jiraiya carefully placed his right hand, which carried the key, on the seal, and slowly opened it.

Now let it be noted that, being a Sannin, Jiraiya was an extremely powerful shinobi. His experience with seals was unrivaled, ever since the death of his late student, Namikaze Minato. Even such an intricate seal as the Eight Trigrams Seal wouldn't be too much of a challenge to modify slightly. But, he was human, and like every human, he wasn't perfect. Sometimes Jiraiya would make a mistake. In another timeline, maybe he wouldn't have made such a big one. Or perhaps none at all. But here, Jiraiya made a tragic one.

He sneezed.

When he was opening the seal.

The seal containing the Kyūbi.

And when he sneezed, Jiraiya's hand slipped. Which resulted in making a gap in said seal.

A big gap.

Way bigger than what he originally intended to do.

That was all he had the time to think before he was blasted away by a wave of pure demonic chakra.

* * *

Pain.

Pain like he never felt before.

He was feeling like he was boiled alive and skinned at the same time, which was not really that far from the truth, given the effect the Kyūbi's chakra had on his body with the current quantity being released brutally.

He first wondered if Ero-Sennin's snot was an acid of some sort, as the Sage had sneezed right on his bare skin. Then, he was forcefully pulled into his mindscape, where something quite ugly was happening.

Well, uglier than usual, as neither the sewer that apparently was his mind or the Kyūbi were really pretty.

The water on the floor had turned blood red, and was quickly rising. Naruto was already knee-deep inside it. The bars of the cage representing the seal were corroded. And, the most alarming thing, the Kyūbi was smiling like a mad man. Or a mad fox, rather.

**"Well, well, look what we have here."** the demon said in his deep and threatening voice, "**A little worm who thought he could control my power. I should thank your idiotic teacher, ningen." **

"What... what have you done... stupid fox? What's... happening?" Naruto asked his tenant between laboured breath. He was feeling even worse here, his body was still in pain, despite being a projection of his mind, and he felt like he was restrained : his movements felt heavy, like something wanted his limbs to move in another way. He was also feeling a pressure in the back of his head, like something was forcefully imposing its will directly through his skull.

Overall, he felt powerless facing the rebelling bijū.

Hearing the weak question of his container, the Kyūbi started to chuckle darkly, and his smile grew larger.

**"But I did nothing, ningen. It was your pervert of a master that slipped when he opened this wretched seal. Now that more than half of my power has passed through, it will crumble very soon, and you are not even wearing your cursed necklace to hinder my full liberation!" **the demon answered with clear mirth.

Indeed, Naruto wasn't wearing the necklace that he had won from Tsunade after he mastered the Rasengan. This necklace, who had belonged to the Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama, a long time ago, was still containing a bit of his chakra, which, thanks to his unique Wood Style kekkei genkai, allowed him to subdue the bijū. Jiraiya, suspecting that the necklace would prevent the Kyūbi from possessing Naruto, had wanted to first make a test without, to have a peek at the real limits of the young Jinchūriki's hold over his tenant.

And, when Naruto thought things couldn't get worse, his own mindscape started to battle him. The water representing the chakra leaking through the bars of the cage pushed him towards the seal itself, and, as if it was alive, lifted him at the right height.

**"Now... I know that you are going through inimaginable pain because of my power"**, the Kyūbi growled maliciously, "**We both know that you won't be able to contain me for ever, so why not end your torment now? Free me, and I'll give you a swift death..."**

Naruto's arm, disobeying his will, slowly started to raise and his fingers were reaching for the paper that held the Kyūbi prisoner. The blond ninja was powerless as his own body, or its manifestation inside his mind, was moving under the command of the demon fox.

What he was sure were his last thought went to his teachers, who he had failed, his friends, who he would never see again, Sakura, who he could not keep his promise to, and Sasuke, who he couldn't save from Orochimaru.

But then, he felt a hand catch his arm before he could open the seal, and felt something cut through the air and speed past him towards the Kyūbi. The next thing he knew, Naruto was on his back, in the water on the floor, which had returned to its nomal state, and he was observed by two people that he didn't know.

The first one was a tall and handsome man, with shoulder length spiky blond hair and cerulean eyes. He was wearing a standard Konoha jounin outfit, with the addition of a long white haori with red flames adorning its edges and closed on the front by a thin red rope.

The second was a beautiful woman with long red hair, dark blue eyes and a slender, but feminine build. She was wearing a white sleeveless blouse under a green dress, with a black wristband on her left arm and lavender sandals. The most outstanding thing about this woman, however, were the numerous chakra chain coming out of her back. Said chain were currently restraining the Kyūbi and keeping his chakra behind the seal, allowing the rest of Naruto's mindscape to regain its normal peaceful state.

The blond genin, however, was currently freaking out. There were people in his mindscape! People that he never met before! And yet...

Yet there was something about this man and this woman that made him feel strange. Made him feel... calm and safe, like everything would be okay.

They made him feel... appreciated, wanted.

Loved.

Perhaps it was the way they were looking at him. He was not used to this kind of looks. When he was young, people would look at him with disdain, hate, or indifference. While growing up, those looks were slowly disappearing, but they were still there. Ever since the Chūnin Exams and his fight against Hyūga Neji, people finally started to look at him with affection, pride, and, sometimes, admiration, even more so when the rumors stated that he was the one who had defeated the bloodthirsty Sabaku no Gaara. There were still a few angry or hateful faces here and there, but way less than before.

But the man and the woman in front of him, their eyes held so much care and love, it actually scared Naruto. Nobody had ever looked at him that way before.

Before he could think more about this, the woman started to talk in a warm and soothing voice, that instantly drawn Naruto to her.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you... Naruto..."

He had to fight down the urge to run towards this woman and to hug her as hard as he could. He didn't know her... he couldn't afford to let his guard slip now.

"Who are you? What are you two doing in my mind?" Naruto asked. To his dismay, the two strangers started to chuckle, but not as if they were mocking him. It was a sad laugh. He could recognize it easily, he had often heard the same coming from his own mouth.

Taking a closer look at the man, Naruto had the sudden impression that his face was familiar. Very familiar. Like something he had seen everyday of his young life.

Something sculpted in a cliff, above Konoha.

With a bewildered expression and a shaking finger pointed at the man in question, the blond genin couldn't help but state in a disbelieving tone, "You... you're... the Yondaime Hokage!"

The now identified shinobi couldn't help but chuckle, this time with amusement at the face Naruto was making, a mixture of surprise, awe, fear and confusion.

"Yep, that's me." he confirmed, "But it feels kind of weird being called by your title by your son like that."

"What?... Your son?..." Naruto asked. If there was a picture next to "disbelief" in the dictionary, it would be the face the blond boy was making right now, "It's... no, it's not real! You can't be real! You're dead!"

Both adults flinched after hearing Naruto's outburst, and their expressions changed to one of profound caring to one of distress : they looked both sad and fearful.

The red-haired woman took an hesitant step forward and glanced at Naruto with such longing that, once again, he had to restrain himself, otherwise he would hug her and never let go. He didn't know where this urge came from, and it started to make him curious and, at the same time, worried. Who were this two people that he felt so connected to?

His curiosity was short lived, as the woman answered his silent question in an hesitant, yet loving and hopeful voice.

"It's true Naruto... He is your father. And I..." she then took a deep breath, like what she was going to say would change the blonde boy's life.

And it would, indeed.

She then seemed to resolved herself, and, with more confidence, a small, yet beautiful smile, and a hand over her heart, she finished : "I am your mother..."

Naruto's eyes widened, hope and tears were starting to gather in his heart and eyes respectively. Was it true? Could this two people, one being the Yondaime Hokage no less, be...

"We are your parents."

* * *

**Done ! I don't really know how long this story will be, but I have it already planned to a certain extent. It will follow the canon storyline, with some twists of course, up until the Sanbi arc. After that, it will derive from the original plot. The whole universe will also be darker, with more mature theme mentioned besides murder and death.**

**This story will also feature a stronger and smarter Naruto, but not completely OOC. His abilities will also be closer to Menma, from the Road To Ninja movie. While I like his powers in canon, I feel like he didn't really have his own style besides the Shadow Clones : everything Naruto knows was also used by Jiraiya and/or Minato. Even his Kyūbi Chakra Mode was something that was not unique to him, since Minato could use it as well. **

**For the pairings, it will be mainly NaruHina, with a tiny tipsy bit of ShikaTema, and another one that I won't reveal for now. There might be other pairings, maybe not, I don't know.**

**I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! Please review!**


	2. Family Reunion

**Hello again, here is the second chapter of _What He Wants To Protect_! Hope you'll like it!**

**Also, thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate the feedbacks!**

**Disclaimer : I (still) do not own Naruto.**

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For a few moments, Jiraiya memories were blurry. Did Tsunade caught him peeping again? Or did Gamabunta finally had enough of him and decided to get rid of his summoner?

Shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness provoked by his sudden encounter with a stone wall, Jiraiya suddenly was very aware of the oppressive feeling floating in the air, the evil chakra swirling everywhere in the court of the now even more ruined keep, but the thing he was the most aware of was the dark five-tailed figure that was steadily getting larger standing on all four in front of him.

The Sage immediately darted away before being beheaded by the clawed hand of what used to be Naruto. The old shinobi suddenly recalled what had happened before he was thrown against the wall : he had fucked up. It was his fault his pupil was in this state, and, judging by the sixth tail growing on his backside, there was little chance that the seal would hold.

The jinchūriki now had a fox skeleton hovering over his body, and already the dark red chakra was starting to gather around the bones. Cursing himself again for his stupid sneezing fit and his idea of not letting Naruto wear the Shodai's necklace, Jiraiya had only two options left : fleeing to Konoha to report his failure and getting murdered by Tsunade, or stay and most likely die trying to seal back the Kyūbi inside of Naruto, or at least putting an end to his suffering.

He did not considered himself a gutsy shinobi for nothing. He would stay.

Preparing himself for what was most likely the last fight of his life, Jiraiya pumped his chakra into his legs and, like a toad, jumped high enough to land on the top of the tower in the center of the ruins where he had set camp earlier with Naruto, giving him a full view of what his pupil had become.

His body had grown to immense size, already slightly bigger than Gamabunta, and the skeleton that used to float around his body could be seen under the red chakra that his skin was made of. He was now truly looking like a monster fox, and his form was visibly solidifying, and flesh was starting to appear of his back.

Snarling angrily at the Toad Sage, the almost complete Kyūbi opened his mouth wide and, using the tip of his tails, now seven in total, started to form a menacing black ball of raw chakra. After it was completely formed, the ball suddenly condensed and grew small enough for the Fox to swallow it. The sheer amount of chakra he just absorded made his face and stomach swell to what would be considered comic proportion if the situation wasn't so tragic.

Forseeing what hell was about to be unleashed upon him, Jiraiya jumped just in time to avoid the enormous beam of chakra that the Kyūbi aimed at him. The evening sky was brighly illuminated for a moment, and when the beam finally disappeared, there was nothing left of the tower Jiraiya just stood on a few moments ago.

Noticing that he missed his target, the Kyūbi howled in rage and opted to turn the Sage into a very thin red paste by using his tails. The Sannin was hard pressed to avoid the violent assault of the bijū, but he had to reach for his and Naruto's backpacks, where he had several repression seals stored and where his student had left his necklace before they started their training. He doubted that his seals would hold the Fox for long, but it might give him enough time to prepare a more powerful one.

As quickly as it had started, the Kyūbi stopped his attack, and once again opened his mouth. This time, however, it wasn't a beam of chakra, but a torrent of white hot flames that the demon aimed at Jiraiya. Swiftly, the Sage took out of his kimono a scroll, and unrolling it on the ground, revealed the sealing matrix written inside. Charging his hand with chakra, Jiraiya slammed it in front of the scroll.

"Sealing Jutsu: Fire Seal!"

After the Sage yelled the name of his technique, the wave of fire breathed out by the Kyūbi was quickly absorbed into the scroll, where the kanji for "Fire" appeared once the sealing was complete.

Roaring in rage after seeing his attack absorbed by Jiraiya, the Fox started once again to charge one of his Bijūdama, but this one was much larger than his previous bomb.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, was getting desperate. Sealing such a powerful fire attack at costed him a lot of chakra. And, if things could not get worse, he finally noticed that the two backpacks he was looking for were just near the Kyūbi's front left paw. Approaching this close was suicide, and even if he did have the time to prepare a seal strong enough to contain the bijū, he certainly didn't have enough chakra left to apply it.

Sighing in defeat, Jiraiya turned his gaze one last time towards what used to be Naruto. His apprentice. His godson. The Sage could not help but be happy that he was going to die. At least, he would join the blonde genin in the afterlife, where he hoped he would be forgiven for his mistakes, present and past.

This training trip, while primarily aimed to make Naruto strong enough to face the Akatsuki, was also a way for Jiraiya to make amend for the time he had missed with his godson. He knew that Konoha had needed his spy network more than ever after the Kyūbi's attack and Minato's death, and that it was his duty as a Leaf shinobi to protect the village before anything else, but he still felt horrible knowing he had left Naruto to grow alone and hated by a majority of the villagers. He had sent a few gifts for his birthday, and checked up on him when he was in the village, but he had never presented himself. He knew that if he had done that, he wouldn't have been able to left his godson alone once again when he was away on a long-term mission. It still hurted him deeply, as he was also breaking his promise to Minato and Kushina to raise Naruto should something happen to them.

It had been his duty has a godfather.

But it came after his duty as a shinobi. It was the sad truth of the ninja world. The village always came first.

But the training trip was a perfect occasion to combine both, and at the same time bond with Naruto. He could be annoying and loud from time to time... or rather all the time, but he was also passionate and determinated, and his smile was contagious. Just like his mother.

Speaking of which, Jiraiya hoped that castration was impossible in the afterlife, or at least not painful, because he heavily doubted that Kushina would let him keep his manhood (or any other part of his body) intact after she learned that he was responsible of her son's death.

All of that, because of a stupid sneeze.

But soon, it would not really matter anymore.

The now eight-tailed Kyūbi's body was now entirely made out of flesh rather than raw chakra, all that was missing was the last tail and the fur, and the Fox's resurrection would be complete.

But, to Jiraiya's astonishment, just as the bijū was about to fire his now fully charged Bijūdama, he suddenly collapsed and, in an eruption of smoke, disappeared, leaving only a naked an unconscious Naruto laying in the middle of the ruined fortress.

Swiftly getting up, Jiraiya ran to Naruto's side. Kneeling next to the blond, he quickly started looking for any sign showing that his godson was still alive. To his relief, he felt a somewhat weak, but steady pulse.

"Thank Kami..." Jiraiya whispered in exhaustion. After escaping the smashing tails and using the Fire Seal on the Kyūbi's blazing torrent, combined with the dread of having seemingly killed Naruto, the Sage was feeling tired. But he had one last thing to check up.

Looking at the Eight Trigrams Seal, Jiraiya was baffled to see that it was slowly closing. Despite being a seal master, he had no idea of how this was possible. Maybe something was happening in the mindscape that Naruto had mentioned he already had visited just before he summoned Gamabunta for the first time? It was the only thing that he could think of. Whatever was going on, he hoped that his godson would be alright.

Finally giving in to his exhaustion, Jiraiya dropped down next to his unconscious pupil, coming to the same conclusion that his sensei, the Sandaime Hokage, had before him.

_'I am getting too old for this shit.'_

* * *

"We are your parents."

This simple sentence almost made Naruto faint. His emotions could be read on his face, one after the other : happiness, disbelief, fear, confusion, anger, sadness, they all flashed quickly in his eyes and his mind.

He had parents! His father was the Yondaime! But it was impossible. How could they be here? And why? Was it a trick from the Kyūbi? After all, he couldn't be the son of Yondaime, right? Or could he? Could the Yondaime seal the Kyūbi in his own son, leaving him alone in a village that shunned him? And his mother? Was she dead too? Was HE dead?

But no, he was still in his mindscape, and the Kyūbi was still restrained by the chain coming out of his mother's back.

Both his parents were holding their breath, not that it mattered if they didn't, since they were dead. But some habits die hard, even when you do die. Kushina and Minato were extremely afraid. How would their son react? Would he accept them despite the burden they had put on his shoulder the day he was born, or would he blame them for the crappy childhood he had to go through and that they had witnessed through his memories?

Naruto himself couldn't choose how to react. His emotions were in turmoil. When he thought he had settled for one, another would replace it. But, finally, he decided.

He chose anger.

And, to show it, he kicked Minato as hard as he could, in the most sensitive area of his anatomy.

Crumbling on the floor in pain holding his genitals, the Yondaime did nothing to prevent his son for unleashing more kicks on his legs, back, stomach and head. He couldn't really blame Naruto.

Kushina, seeing her son violently kick her husband in his family jewels, could only gasp before trying to restrain the furious blond boy.

The both of them had expected him to react like that, but they had hoped that maybe he would ask questions first before unleashing his righteous anger.

Naruto, tired of kicking Minato, decided to put his fury into words.

"WHY?! WHY DID YOU SEAL THE KYŪBI INSIDE OF ME IF I AM YOUR SON?! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS FOR ME? DO YOU? I WAS EITHER IGNORED OR OUTRIGHT HATED BY THE VILLAGERS! I BARELY HAD ANY FRIENDS AT THE ACADEMY! "

The tears finally fell, as Naruto was confronting the man responsible of his lonely childhood.

His hero.

His father.

The Sandaime had explained to him that it was the only solution to stop the Kyūbi, and that he understood if he resented the Yondaime, but it had been his duty has Hokage to protect the village, no matter what. Now that he thought about it, Naruto realised that the Old Man surely knew about his parents, but never told him. The only thing he had said when Naruto had asked about his family, was that they died during the Kyūbi's attack. It was technically the truth, but only a part of it. Realising that the man he saw as a grandfather had kept the identity of his parents away from him only made the young ninja angrier.

But before he could lash out again, he was suddenly embraced by Kushina.

His anger vanished instantly. Feeling his mother hug him, like he had seen other children, and something he had longed for as long as he could remember, finally made him break down, and he started to cry loudly on Kushina's shoulder. She took this opportunity to slowly stroke his back and whisper calming words to him.

"I know you are angry sochi... and I understand. Minato also understands. But we never wanted you to suffer like you had. We wanted to see you make your first step, hear your first word, see you out on your first day at the Academy... but what we wanted the most was for you to live... please, Naruto, let us a chance to explain..."

Regaining a bit of control over his falling tears, Naruto raised his head and looked right in the dark blue eyes of his mother.

"Why..." he said between sniffles, "...I just want to know why..."

Instead of Kushina, it was Minato who answered him, after he had shakily stood up.

"Because... I couldn't ask for other parents to sacrifice their child. As the Hokage, it was my duty to defend the village... even at the cost of my life... and, unfortunately, my son's happiness..." he started, with a sad face. But he slowly started to smile proudly at Naruto, "And because I knew that you would be able to keep the Fox's influence at bay. You are my... no, our son after all." he finished as he knelt beside Kushina.

But his expression changed again, and this time Minato had a grim face on, "There is also more to the Kyūbi's attack than just the Fox's desire to destroy Konoha."

**"Yet I would have enjoyed to turn your accursed village into ashes... Yondaime, Kushina..."**

The family of three turned to notice that the Kyūbi had managed to raise his head despide the chain around his neck, and he was now glaring at the reunited parents and child.

"I certainly didn't want to see you again after putting up with your furry ass for so long, Fox." hissed Kushina as she glared back at the bijū.

"Putting up with him? What do you mean?" asked a confused Naruto.

Kushina turned back to look sadly at her son. "You are not the first Uzumaki to contain the Kyūbi. I was his jinchūriki before you, just like Uzumaki Mito, the Shodai Hokage's wife, was before me." She answered.

Shock was written all over Naruto's face after hearing his mother's revelation. He had not been the only one cursed with the Fox? His mother had been too? But something didn't add up.

"But if you were containing the Kyūbi, how could he have attacked Konoha?" he asked.

Again it was Minato who answered him. "That was what I was goin to explain, before we were rudely interrupted." he said with a glare of his own, "When a female jinchūriki is about to give birth, the seal containing the bijū is weakened, because the chakra is more focused on the baby than on the demon. And it was at this moment, just when you were born, that a masked man appeared out of nowhere..."

Minato then went on explaining, with Kushina throwing a remark here and there, how this man threatened and almost killed Naruto, kidnapped Kushina after distracting him, and how he then freed the Kyūbi from her.

The blond genin was listening intently and, unknown to any of them, so was the Fox. Truth be told, his memories of that night were blurry. He remembered trying to break of his shackles when Kushina was in labor, and the next thing he knew he was in the middle of Konoha, assaulted by an army of shinobi. He knew that Kushina had been moved out of the village to prevent an accident, but he had attributed his sudden appearance in Konoha as a symptom of his liberation. He had been forced to turned into an unstable mass of chakra to break out of the seal, and he had thought that in this state, his consciousness may have been in a state of stasis, and that his body had reformed inside of the village. He wasn't really sure, as he never had been freed from a seal before.

But what Minato would say next, would break his theory down.

"After, that, I managed to save Kushina, but this man had already managed to put the Kyūbi under his control-"

**"WHAT?!" **the Fox howled in rage and disbelief. No one could control him like that. No one amongst the living. **"You are lying, Yondaime! Nobody can put me under their control! You are lying!"**

"There used to be one person though, am I right?" Minato asked the bijū.

**"He is dead! You know that very well, Yondaime!"**

"And yet the man who kidnapped Kushina managed to put you under a genjutsu and force you to attack Konoha. And, when I thought him later on, he did not deny being Uchiha Madara after I questioned him."

**"NO! HE CAN'T BE ALIVE! I SAW THE SHODAI KILL HIM! HE CAN'T BE ALIVE!" **roared the Kyūbi in denial. It couldn't be! This man couldn't be back from the dead!

But that would explain why he had trouble remembering the event of this night. He had been put under a genjustsu because of a Sharingan! It had been the same during the battle between Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama. The Shodai has restrained him using his Wood Style and let his wife Mito seal the Fox inside herself because of his power, yet the only thing he had remembered before finding himself bound by Hashirama was meeting Madara and being treated as a mere dog. After that, his memories were extremely scarce.

It was only when Mito had told him of the battle between the two shinobi when she had entered her mindscape for the first time that he had been aware of the fact that Madara was able to enslave him with the power of his eyes. This news had put him into a rage like he had never felt before. A human had the power to control him! And he hadn't even been aware of it! To think that a miserable and maliciouss creature such as a human could control him was outrageous. But at least, Madara had died, and his hold on the Kyūbi had been weak enough at the end to allow the Fox to witness his demise.

But, somehow, he was still alive, and was after his power again.

Naruto, however, was growing more and more confused.

"I don't understand. Who was this Madara guy?"

"He was one of the two founder of Konoha, along with the Shodai, Senju Hashirama." said Kushina, "He was also the strongest among the Uchihas. But, after the foundation of the village, Madara went rogue, and eventually he was defeated by Hashirama at the place now known as the Valley of the End. Defeated, but not killed, it seems."

_'The Valley of the End...' _thought Naruto. It was there that he had fought Sasuke, and nearly died trying to bring him back to Konoha a few months ago.

"Now you know why I had to seal the Kyūbi inside of you, Naruto..." said Minato, "I had to stop his rampage, and prevent Madara for keeping him under is control. But it was also a way for me to protect you.

"Protect me? How does sealing a demon inside of me would protect me?" asked Naruto, feeling his anger rising again.

"Because I knew that, in time, you would be able to master his power. And I knew that you were the best person I could entrust this power with. You are our child, and I was confident that I had left Konoha's safety in good hands." responded his father, while ruffling his hair.

More than the total confidence coming from Minato, it was this simple gesture that calmed Naruto. He had seen children getting their hair ruffled like that by their father when they were proud of them. The Sandaime, Iruka, Kakashi and Jiraiya had done the same to him. But feeling his _father_ doing it, as he had felt his _mother _hug him, brought him to tears. He couldn't help it.

"I understand if you can't forgive me for what I did" continued the elder blond sadly, "but I hope you understand that I never wanted you to suffer. I wanted you to be safe. I wanted you to be viewed as the hero who was keeping the village safe by containing the bijū, but apparently, I was too optimistic." He then bowed in front of Naruto, "I am sorry for the hard times that you had to go through. I am so sorry, Naruto... my son."

He was still a bit angry at Minato, but yes, now he understood why he had been chosen to be the Kyūbi jinchūriki : because his father, the Yondaime Hokage, had entrusted him with the power to protect the village. Because he was certain that his son would be able to master it. Because he knew that no matter what, he would be proud of him.

Not proud like a Hokage.

Proud like a father.

"I understand... and I am still a bit mad at you... but I managed. After all... I'm the son of the Yondaime, ya know. Ain't that right... Dad?"

Hearing Naruto calling him Tou-chan brought Minato to tears, just as Kushina started to cry as she saw her son forgive his father.

"But still..." said Naruto, "How are you guys here? I mean..." suddenly, the blond genin looked at his parents like they were the spookiest thing ever, "You... you're not ghosts, right?"

"No, well, not exactly..." replied Minato after getting his emotions back under control, "The jutsu I used to seal half of the Kyūbi power inside of you, the Shiki Fūjin, is casted at the cost of the users life. And your mother was dying, as a jinchūriki who gets their bijū extracted will inevitably die. As such, when I was performing the sealing, I also put a small amount of my and Kushina's chakra inside the Eight Trigrams Seal, in case the seal was breaking or for when you decided to take control of the Kyūbi's chakra. But now that I mention it..." he then looked at his wife, "we weren't suppose to appear together." Turning his attention back to Naruto, he asked him "What happened?"

Naruto, who had forgot the situation he was in after the shock of meeting his parents, remembered suddenly the accident provoked by Jiraiya.

"Oh that's right!" he exclaimed, "Ero-Sennin wanted to open the seal a little to see how much of the Kyūbi's chakra I could control! And when he was doing it, he sneezed!"

"He... sneezed?" asked Kushina incredulously "What the fuck? How can that guy _sneeze_ when he opens a jinchūriki's seal!? His godson's seal no less?!"

"Ero... Ero-Sennin?" said Minato. Despite what he had just learned, it was clear that he had a hard time containing a chuckle. He suddenly collapsed on the floor again, in laughter this time. "This is rich! I _never _thought of that surname before! That's genius, Naruto!"

"How can you be laughing like that when our baby could have died because of that perverted dummy?!" asked Kushina angrily at her hilarious husband.

"HOLD ON A SECOND!" shouted Naruto. "Ero-Sennin is my godfather?!"

"Yes he is." answered Kushina, "Now that I think about it, I only saw him quite recently in your memories. Where was he all this time? He was supposed to take care of you, ya know."

"He probably was extremely busy after the accident, Kushina." said Minato after putting himself together for a second time. "Even during my reign as Hokage, our situation wasn't that bright. The aftermath of the Third Shinobi War had left us in a weakened state, despite our victory. And the Kyūbi's attack probably did not make things better. Hiruzen-sama had probably no choice but to put Jiraiya on long-terms spying mission. But even so... I would have expected him to check up on you once in a while."

"Well, he didn't!" said Naruto, angry once again.

"If I ever meet him again, he better watch out for his balls! Believe it!" said Kushina, just as angry as her son.

At the same time, in the real world, Jiraiya suddenly had visions of a very angry female Uzumaki glaring at him with eyes that screamed bloody murder while she was sharpening a sword. He decided to put his hands defensively in front of his manhood, just in case.

Back in Naruto's mindscape, Minato sighed, feeling a bit sorry for his sensei, but only a bit. He himself had some words to say to the man about leaving his son alone during his childhood, or throwing him off a cliff for training.

But they had more important matters to discuss right now. He could already feel that the majority of his chakra had disappeared, he and Kushina didn't have much time left with Naruto.

"Since we are here..." he started, "I might as well restore the seal. And maybe we could try, with Kushina's chains, to take a bit of-"

**"Hold on, Yondaime."** said the Kyūbi. He had listened to their conversation and, from what Minato had said, it seems that Madara needed to extract him out off Kushina to control him. Which means that, while he was inside of Naruto, he should be out of the Uchiha's grip.

But his container was weak. He wouldn't last against the former clan head. And if the Kyūbi had managed to free himself, he would have been once again at the mercy of Madara.

He would rather die.

Which left him only one option... one that he hated. But it was that, or slavery.

And the Fox was definitely not a fan of slavery.

**"Since that damned Madara is after me once again, he will enventually hunt the little ningen here. Which means, that... maybe... we could come to..." **he then made a face that, if he was human, would look like he was about to throw up, **"a truce."**

At that, Minato raised an eyebrow. "A truce? Bur I thought you wanted to be free?"

**"Oh, I still want to, Yondaime... but if Madara catches me again, he will evetually control with his wretched eyes. And I _really_ don't want to be controlled by that man. But, from what I can understand from your story, he can't control me if I am sealed... Which means..."**

"Which means that, as long as you are sealed inside of me, you are safe, right?" concluded Naruto, who had managed to come to this on his own.

The Kyūbi looked at him with a small amount of surprise in his eyes. **"You are not as dumb as you look, ningen. Yes, it seems the only way for me to stay out of Madara's reach, is to be kept inside of you. Unfortunately for me, you are laughably weak, even for a human."**

"Hey! I'm not dumb, and I'm not weak! Believe it!"

**"Yes, you are. You were helpless when that Uchiha and that fishman came to capture you. If not for your stupid teacher, you would most likely be dead right now, and me on a leash. Even that boy you consider a brother almost killed you, because you were too weak."**

"So what did you mean by 'a truce'?" asked a curious Minato. He was intrigued by what the Kyūbi was meaning. If he was going to where he thought he was going...

**"I mean that, as long as Madara is alive, neither me or the little ningen are safe. Which means... that we have common interests. I don't like it, not at all... but I refuse to be the Uchiha's lapdog ever again. I'd rather have this little idiot controlling me."**

"Are you saying..." started an incredulous Kushina.

**"Yes..." **the Kyūbi answered with a disgusted expression. He had really no choice here. But at least, he would keep his free wll.

"What? What's he saying?" asked Naruto, who was lost again.

**"I take back what I just said earlier... you _are_ as dumb as you look."** growled the Kyūbi. It was hard enough to accept what he was forced to do, but now he had to say it out loud.

**"Since we are both pursued by the same man, you for me and me for my strength... We will have to..." **once again, the Fox looked like he was about to throw up. Disgust was written all over his vulpine face. **"...work together."**

"Work together? You mean like I can have all the chakra I want?" asked a giddy Naruto. He had feared the Kyūbi would take control of him if he was using too much of its chakra. But if they were working together, there was no need to be worried about that, right?

However, this was not what the Kyūbi had in mind at all.

**"NO! I won't be treated as a chakra battery to use when you want to pull out one of your stupid jutsu! I will _allow _you to use a small part of my chakra, and I may increase the amount I give you should you prove yourself strong enough. I will also have other... _gifts_... to share with you, but I expect concessions on your part too!"**

Naruto only nodded without saying anything that might anger the bijū further. For the Kyūbi to allow him to use a small part of his chakra as he saw fit was already a pretty good deal. However, the last point the Fox had made worried him a little.

"What concessions are you talking about?"

**"We will discuss that later, ningen. I still have a lot to think about, and I still have to deal with the fact that I am forced to share a part of my strength with a shrimp like you." **The Kyūbi then glared at Kushina, would was still binding him with her chakra chains. **"Could you free me now? I won't try to break out of here anymore... until we deal with Madara, that is."**

Kushina eyed him suspiciously, before nodding. The chains then retracted into her back, and the Kyūbi was finally able to shift to a more comfortable position, deeper inside his cage.

**"Now, get out of my sight."** the Fox snarled. **"I saw you enough when you two were alive... Say whatever you want to say to the little ningen during the little time you have left... but somewhere else."**

"Yeah, for once I agree with the Fox." said Minato. "Let's move to another place, shall we?" He then snapped his fingers, and the sewers disappeared. Now, the little family were floating in what seemed to be a void where the only things visible were shifting shades of yellow and red, sometimes mixing to create a bright orange.

The three immediatly relaxed. The Kyūbi's aura of rage and hatred was not something really pleasant.

Naruto, despite the warm atmosphere of... wherever they were now... was feeling extremely sad. His parents were going to disappear. They were already becoming sligthly transparent, and the outlines of their figures were getting blurry.

Despite the anger he had initially felt, in the few moments he had spent with them, he knew that he was going to miss them immensely. The brief peek he had at what his life with his parents could have been wasn't enough : as an orphan, a family was something he had always dreamed of, perhaps even more so than being Hokage. And now that he had a taste of what it was like, he wanted more. In desperation he threw himself at his mother and hugged her with all he had. Fortunaly for her, Kushina was a shinobi, but even so, Naruto's embrace was really tight.

"I don't want you to go! Mom, Dad! I just barely had time to meet you!"

He was openly crying, and so were his parents. They were as sad as Naruto, as they had wanted to raise their child. Being an orphan and one of the last of her clan respectively, Minato and Kushina had been overjoyed to hear that she was pregnant.

But Madara had taken that away from them.

And, crying in his mother's chest, Naruto now understood Sasuke desire for revenge. The last loyal Uchiha had claimed that their situation was completely different. That the could never understand him, never going through the pain of losing someone, as he never had anyone.

But now he understood. And Naruto, too, wanted revenge. And he would have a bijū, even though a reluctant one, at his side.

Sensing her son shaking in rage, Kushina delicately rubbed his back to soothe him. She couldn't blame him for being angry, heck, she was angry herself! But she wouldn't let this anger spoil the brief moment they were allowed together as a family.

"I know how you feel, sochi..." she said in a soft voice. "But don't let your rage get the better of you. Don't be like your friend Sasuke. Even if the Kyūbi agreed to let you use a part of his chakra, you will not be free of its influence."

A little calmer, Naruto looked up with teary eyes to meet Kushina's loving eyes. No matter what, witnessing so much affection directed at him felt weird. The good kind of weird. Something he could get used to. But, if somebody looked at him like that ever again, it wouldn't be his parents. And that felt horrible.

"What... What do you mean? If he lets me take his chakra, I'll be fine right?" he asked.

"Not necessarily." she answered sadly. "A bijū is made of chakra, and as such, his chakra will always carry a bit of his consciousness in its flow. Even if he gives it willingly, the Kyūbi's bloodlust will still affects you."

"But then... how do I keep his influence away?" Naruto asked with desperation. What good would the Fox cooperation would do to him if he could still be possessed?

"There is something that can keep the demon's hatred away... but you can only get it from another person." Kushina said, glancing at the same time at Minato, who was watching the mother-son moment with a smile. It was important that his wife passed her experience as a jinchūriki to their son. It would be of precious help to him in the future.

"What is it?"

"Simple... its love."

Naruto looked a bit dumbfounded. That was it?

"Don't underestimate its power, sochi... Your father is what helped me keep the Kyūbi restrained, even more so than my special chakra." Kushina said to her son. "Find someone who will fill the hole in your heart, and you will be able to resist the Kyūbi's hatred. This is what Mito-sama taught me, and this knowledge, I am now giving it to you."

She then hugged her son back with all the strength her rapidly degrading chakra-made body could muster, and she dragged Minato in the embrace with them.

It was time, Naruto realised. Time to say goodbye to his parents, that he would not see again until he too joined them in the afterlife, if there was any afterlife at all. It was not something he wanted to think of right now. He was entirely focused on his parents departing words.

"I don't really have anything left to say to you, Naruto. Your mother said it all." Minato said. Even his voice was starting to fade slowly. "The only thing I could add is, again, my apologies for what I had to put on your shoulders the very day you were born. But despite all the hard times that you faced, I can that you grew into a young man I am proud to call my son."

Once again, hearing how proud his father was of him made Naruto's tears fall faster. He couldn't take it. He couldn't lose them again.

"Don't be too sad, Naru-chan..." whispered Kushina. Or at least, it sounded like a whisper, as they were almost invisible. The blond genin could barely see his parents over the colourful background of his mindscape. "Just remember what I said about love... and remember to eat vegetables and to sleep correctly at night..." Now, her voice was barely audible. "I also want at least four grandkids ya know!" she added with a tearful chuckle.

Naruto couldn't see them anymore, he couldn't feel their arms around him, but their presence was still there, fading way too fast.

"No matter what happens, we will always be proud of you... Naruto..." he managed to hear Minato said.

And their last words, their very last words, despite being nothing more but the whisper of a whisper, still rang louder than a thunderstorm in the blond boy's ears, mind and heart.

"We love you, Naruto..."

And with that, the last remnants of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina were gone.

And, feeling alone and vulnerable without the comforting presence of his parents at his side, the presence he had longed for ever since he knew what parents were, Uzumaki Naruto, number one hyperactive, knucklehead ninja of Konohagakure no Sato and jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōko, cried loudly in the solitude of his mindscape.

* * *

**This chapter was a bit hard to write. I didn't want the accord between Naruto and the Kyūbi** **to come out too quickly, but it is something I need for Naruto's training to begin and for the story to progress.**

**I hope I also got Naruto's reaction towards his parents right. He meets them younger than in the manga here, so I wanted to make him feel conflicted on how he should react, but ultimately make him happy to meet them, and sad to see them go away. He is still a thirteen year-old orphan who was treated as an outcast for most of his life, so even though it would be natural for him to be mad at Minato, like in the manga, I felt that knowing the reason why he was turned into a jinch****ūriki, the circumstances around his birth and that his parents did love him, he wouldn't stay angry for too long. At least, that's opinion.  
**

**I also took note of the spaces before the question and exclamation marks. It's something done in French, my word processor was doing it automatically, and I am used to it. But it's corrected now!**

**I hope you enjoyed your read! Please review!**


	3. Of Feelings and Masked Beasts

**Here is chapter 3! It took me longer to add this one, because I wasn't happy and I had to rewrite it two times. And I was a bit busy with my classes. But it's here now, so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto. **

* * *

Naruto had fallen asleep after crying for what seemed hours. The shock, joy, and pain of meeting his parents and then seeing them go, mixed with the initial anger he had felt at Minato and the fact that he had just been saved from a near-full possession by the timely intervention of Kushina's chains, had exhausted him completely.

He had fallen asleep in his mindscape, and he awoke to find himself in the real world. From the position of the sun in the sky, he guessed that it was around 4 in the afternoon. He was still where he had set camp with Jiraiya the day before, except the old keep was now little more than a pile of boulders in the middle of the woods.

Naruto found himself in his sleeping bag, wearing his spare clothes, consisting of a simple white shirt with a red whirlpool on the front and black shorts. He did not thought of where his beloved jumpsuit might be, as he already had a lot on his mind.

Naruto had learned much earlier than other people that crying over your situation wasn't going to make it any better. He had cried, of course. Every little boy would cry if a whole village was either ignoring or rejecting you, save for a few person. But to keep crying wasn't going to change the people's mind. So he had toughen up, and put on a smile. Very often, it was a fake smile, just to hide his pain for his few precious people, or to convince himself that he was happy. Fortunately, ever since he became a genin, he had needed it less and less, as he made more friends, and people started to view him as a person rather than as a prison for a gigantic fox.

But now, it was strange. It felt both better and worse than before.

He had parents. Parents that loved him. He hadn't just popped out of nowhere or been abandoned as a baby.

But it had been short, so short.

He wasn't going to keep crying. His mother asked him not to be too sad. He would cherish the memories of the past night.

But he didn't feel like smiling right now. Not even a fake one.

Besides, he had serious matters to think of. He had to talk with the Kyūbi about their alliance of sort. But right now, he was thinking about a specific man.

His godfather.

Now, Naruto was not a person to hold grudges. He had forgiven Minato for sealing the Fox inside of him. But his father had done what he had thought best in a dire situation. If Naruto had to put in more childish words, Minato had an excuse.

Did Jiraiya had one for not, at the very least, let him know that he had family left? To check up on him once in a while? It wasn't much, was it? With all the peeping the Sage was doing, he could very well take two hours or so to go and meet up with his godson, the son of his apprentice, right?

Yet, he never did.

Speaking of Jiraiya, Naruto noticed him sitting against what was left of a wall, a few feets away. He looked to be deep in thoughts, his eyes closed, and wasn't aware that his pupil was now awake.

And indeed, Jiraiya was doing some serious thinking right now. While it was a relief that Naruto's transformation had stopped, how did it happen? For the life of him he couldn't understand this sudden interruption during the Kyūbi's release. Was there a failsafe on the seal? Did Naruto, somehow, subdued the Fox?

His train of thoughts was interrupted when a pebble hit his hitai-ate. Opening his eyes, the Sage was surprised and happy to see that his pupil was up. He immediately got up and knelt beside him.

"Naruto! You're finally awake!" he said with joy. "Are you okay? How is your seal?"

"I'm fine, its fine." the blond answered in a flat voice.

Jiraiya sighed in relief, before a sheepish expression appeared on his face. "Look gaki... hum... I'm sorry about that sneeze last night. I could have killed you with that. Perhaps we shouldn't-"

"It's okay, Ero-Sennin, I'm not mad at you for that." interrupted Naruto. After all, it was because of that accident that he had met his parents.

"Really? Just like that? I know you are quick to forgive, gaki, but I almost freed the Kyūbi last night! You are not even a little bit angry?"

"Oh, I'm plenty angry... Jiraiya."

"Huh?" the Sage was confused. If Naruto wasn't angry at him for his slip the day before, then why was he? And why was he calling him by his name rather than 'Ero-Sennin'?

"Where were you?" the blond genin asked, an edge in his voice.

"What? Have you hit your head or something? I was-"

"WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I WAS ALL ALONE!? WHEN I THOUGHT I DIDN'T HAVE ANY FAMILY?! YOU'RE MY GODFATHER, RIGHT?!"

Jiraiya's heart missed a beat and his blood ran cold. "How do you know that?"

"I know because when you fucked up with my seal, I met my parents in my mindscape!"

The Sage looked at his godson in disbelief. Had he heard right? "Hold on... you met Minato and Kushina? But... they're dead, how could you-"

Naruto angrily interrupted him a third time. "Yes, they are! But when Dad sealed the Fox inside of me, he also left a bit of his and Kā-chan's chakra in it too! And when you opened the seal, they appeared to save me!"

_'A chakra imprint?' _thought Jiraiya. So that's how the Kyūbi's resurrection had been stopped. _'It's so... simple, yet so clever. Minato was really a genius with seals...'_

"Can you tell me exactly what happened in your mindscape?" the Sage asked his student.

Instead of getting an answer, all he achieved was to make Naruto angrier. "Don't change the subject, you old fart! I wan't to know why you left me alone! At least you could have let me know that I had someone who gave a damn about me besides Hokage-jiji and Iruka-sensei!"

Another sigh. A tired, regretful one this time. So much for catching up with his godson during that training trip.

"Alright... I will tell you. But please, don't interrupt me again. I know I fucked up. Big time. But... I didn't really had a choice."

Naruto didn't snapped at him this time. He just sat straighter, crossed his arms on his chest and glared furiously at his teacher.

Jiraiya slowly massaged his temples before he began explaining his reasons to his pupil. It was going to be difficult. He sighed one last time before throwing himself in a long explanation and a painful reminiscence.

"When your parents died... It hit me hard. Minato was almost like a son to me. I really wanted to take you in, but... Sarutobi-sensei estimed that I was in no shape to take care of you. And he wasn't wrong. I was feeling like crap at this point, and the Sandaime insisted that I maintained my spy network. He promised me that he would take care of you, so I agreed."

Naruto still didn't moved or opened his mouth. Neither did he stopped glaring.

"I know that it's not what you wanted to hear, but... yes. I chose duty over you." The Sannin continued. "Konoha was vulnerable. When Minato was Hokage, we still hadn't fully recovered from the Third Shinobi War. The Kyūbi's attack and your father's death only made the village's state worse. I am a shinobi of the Leaf, and as such it was my duty to protect Konoha... even if it meant breaking my promise to Minato and Kushina... But by protecting the village, I was also protecting you. And it was impossible to take me with you. I was always on the move, gathering informations. That's not the life for a baby."

Naruto's anger subsided a little bit. His godfather had to follow orders, just like any ninja. But still...

"You could have at least dropped by every once in a while..." he muttered.

"Yes... I could have, but... I was afraid that if I ever went to you I would never be able to leave you alone again. And... it was for your safety."

Naruto was confused by Jiraiya's statement. "My safety? Leaving me alone in a village that resented me was for my safety?"

"Your dad was well known in the ninja world, and he had many enemies, notably in Iwagakure, after he killed a thousand of their men by himself." answered the Sannin. "And it was well known that I was his master. I'm pretty famous myself after all. So, what do you think would have happened if the Tsuchikage heard that the Toad Sage, former sensei of the Yellow Flash, was looking after a blond child, hm? I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have hesitated to send assassins after you."

That made Naruto think for a bit. He had learned at the academy that the Yondaime Hokage was hated in Iwa because of his exploits during the war. But did they really want revenge so much that they would kill a child?

"There are people who would kill me just to get back at my dad?" he asked, fearing the answer.

"Yes." Jiraiya grimly responded. "Grudges can last for a long while in the ninja world Naruto. Even if he is dead, Minato is still hated in Iwa. Kumo doesn't really like him either. And he had a lot more enemies than that through the Elemental Nations."

His expression shifted, and a small smile slowly formed on the elder shinobi's face. "I did check up on you, you know. Half of your monthly allowance actually comes from me. I just thought keeping my distance was the better option. I was probably wrong. I am almost always wrong... And, to be frank, one of the reasons I took you on this training trip, besides preparing you against the Akatsuki, was to making it up to you."

Naruto bowed his head down, hiding his eyes from Jiraiya. Once again, he found himself conflicted, just like he had been with his father. Their decisions may have been questionable, but they had the best intentions in mind when they took them.

The blond boy had one last question for his godfather. "What about my parents? When were you planning on telling me?"

"I wanted to wait for you to mature a bit." the Sage answered. "I feared that learning that your own father sealed the Kyūbi inside of you would make you snap... But it seems you took it pretty well."

"At first, not so much, but... I learned some things about that night, and in the end, I can't really blame him... he was doing his duty, like you." Naruto said sadly.

Jiraiya put a comforting hand on his godson's shoulder and, fortunately, he didn't try to shake it off.

"I am sure that he was happy to know that his sacrifice would allow you to live. And the way he sealed the Kyūbi inside of you, I am sure he wanted to protect you by giving you a power that he was confident you could master one day."

Naruto couldn't help a small smile to form on his face. "You're pretty spot on... Ero-Sennin."

"So you're calling me that again? Does this mean that you forgive me?" Jiraiya asked hopefully.

Raising his head again, Naruto met his godfather's worried eyes. He was really afraid to not be forgiven. "Well... I'm still a bit mad, so you better train me extra hard to make it up to me, ya know."

Another sigh, of relief this time, escaped the Sannin's mouth. "Thank you, gaki. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Hey, we're family, right? We shouldn't stay mad at each other." claimed the blond.

Jiraiya smile brightly at Naruto's statement. "Yeah, you're right. We are family."

The blond jinchūriki returned the smile with one of hiw own. A true one. He wasn't alone anymore.

The tense atmosphere subsided, and the two finally relaxed. This time, it was Naruto who told Jiraiya what had happened in his mindscape. He didn't left anything. The Sannin shifted between a mix of amusement and empathy when the blond told him where he kicked Minato, to one of disbelief and worry after he learned what had happened during the fateful night of his birth. He was also amazed that Naruto had a deal with the Kyūbi, even though he had yet to truly seal it, and he couldn't prevent a few tears from falling when the young boy came to the painful separation with his parents.

After taking a few moments to let everything sink in, and to allow Naruto time to recompose himself, as retelling the events that occured in his mindscape had brought up again the sorrow he had felt after he had to say goodbye to Minato and Kushina, Jiraiya finally came to a decision.

"I think you should talk with the Fox as soon as possible. Don't let that hanging. See what he wants, and what you can get from this truce. I'm worried about those concessions, but its in his best interest to keep you safe."

Naruto wasn't really looking forward to this meeting, but it had to be done. If he wanted to defeat the Akatsuki, Madara, protect his precious people and rescue Sasuke, he would need all the power he could get. He steeled himself, and took a determined expression. "When should I talk with the Kyūbi?"

"The sooner the better, I think." answered the Sannin.

"Then I'll do it right now."

Jiraiya locked eyes with his godson, concern written all over his face. "You sure? You are about to strike a deal with the most powerful of the bijū. You might need some preparation for this."

Naruto's resolve was absolute. His parents knew he could do it. He wasn't going to back down. It was his nindō. He would get the Kyūbi's help, no matter what. With his infamous boisterous attitude, he raised both his fist and his voice.

"Yeah, I'll do it right now! Believe it!"

Jiraiya couldn't help but chuckle. The knucklehead's guts and confidence were really something to behold. But it didn't mean that he should just rush like a madman, as he was used to. "Alright, but still, be careful ok?"

Naruto just flashed a toothy grin and a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, Ero-Sennin! That grunchy fox got nothing on me, ya know!"

With that, Naruto sat in the lotus position, closed his eyes and furrowed his brows in concentration. He had never entered his mindscape on his own, it was either in a life or death situation, or the previous night. But it couldn't be that difficult.

And indeed, the blond genin felt a pull at the back of his mind. Letting himself get dragged, he suddenly felt like he was jerked out of his sitting position, and everything went black for a second.

It didn't took him long at all to appear in the familiar sewers. He idly wondered of something could be done about the scenery of his mindscape. It was uglier than a bowl of cold ramen.

* * *

Feeling the familiar oppressive aura behind him, Naruto turned around and found himself facing the cage of the Kyūbi. The bijū was looking at him with a thoughtful expression, or at least that's what it looked like to him. At least, it didn't felt like the Fox was going to throw-up just by thinking about their future cooperation. Baby steps.

**"I didn't expected you here so soon, ningen, but I guess it is for the better. We have a lot to discuss." **the Kyūbi started.

"Yep, so we better get started, and then go kick that Madara's ass!" the blond shouted. An angry growl was his answer.

**"Idiot! This is Uchiha Madara we are talking about! This man cheated death already, and even the Yondaime could only fight him to a standstill! Defeating him will be extremely difficult, even more so with a dimwit like you as my jinchūriki!"**

The Kyūbi took some deep breath to regain his cool. Not only he had to lower himself and cooperate with a human, which was humiliating for a being as powerful as he was, but he could already tell that there would be a lot of headaches coming his way.

**"My patience is already growing thin, so you are right, let's get started."**

"Alright!" shouted Naruto enthusiastically. "So how much chakra will you give me?"

**"Before we get to that, let me make some things clear, ningen." **replied the bijū. **"I hate you. You, your parents, and your village. But I hate Madara even more. We are only... cooperating... because of the circumstances. I am not your friend, and I will never be. However, I will keep my profound disgust for your kind in check, for the sake of our common objective. But, in return, I expect you to respect me. I won't be treated like a slave or a simple chakra battery. And, as my jinchūriki, you represent both of us. And I won't have an idiot as a jinchūriki. So whatever training your perverted teacher will put you through, you will follow it and learn. I will train you too, because you are too weak and dumb to grasp all the applications of my chakra, and I won't have you complaining about how boring or hard it is. This is part of the concessions I told you about last night. Is that clear?"**

Naruto had expected much worse from the Fox. Something like being freed every once in a while to destroy a city. But this was acceptable. Besides, he said that he acknowledged him as his jinchūriki, right? That had to count for something.

"Fine by me." said Naruto. "But I hope you won't stay grumpy like that all the time. If we need to be partners, we have to learn how to work together, ya know."

The Kyūbi grumbled. He expected his jailer to want some reciprocated respect. **"I'll try to be more... civilized with you. But no promises. Is that fine... Naruto?"**

The blond boy grinned, before a brief thoughtful look flashed in his eyes : something he never wondered about before came to his mind. "Yeah, it's okay for now. But... don't you have a name too?"

For the first time since the beginning of their discussion, an expression different than anger or contempt could be read on the Fox's face. He was surprised, genuinely surprised. It was the first time somebody asked his name. Nobody had bothered before. He was either a tool, or a threat to be locked away forever.

Now that he thought about it, it was the first time, since the Sage of the Six Path passed away, that somebody treated him with some kind of common courtesy by simply asking him his name. All in all, it was a pleasant surprise for the bijū.

Not pleasant enough to offset the fact that he had to share his power with his tenant in order to preserve his free-will.

**"Why would you want to know that? Isn't Ky****ūbi enough? That's how humans have called me for thousands of years." **

"Well, if you call me by my name instead of 'ningen' like you use to, it's only fair I do the same, right?" retorted Naruto.

**"Your kind doesn't know anything about fairness..." **the Fox growled, **"…but you won't leave me alone until I tell you, right?"**

"Yep!"

Another growl. Was it a good idea to share his name with that worm? It's not like it would kill him. But, over the centuries and despite him hating it, his title, Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, had grown has a synonym of devastation. Something he relished to bring upon humans, the ugly weaklings who only saw him and his brethren as weapons and who disrespected daily the dreams and hopes of his father.

But now, a human actually wanted to know his name. The Kyūbi figured that he might as well reveal it to Naruto. It would probably make the communication between the two easier. And, after having spent thirteen years inside the head of the blond ninja, he knew how stubborn he was. He would be pestered non-stop until he gave-in.

**"Fine, I will tell you. But you will keep it to yourself. Is that clear?"**

Naruto's toothy grin widened. "Alright! Now come on, tell me!"

The Fox closed his eyes, seemingly wondering if it was a good idea one last time, before saying the name that he did not heard one time in centuries in a voice surprisingly soft for the bijū. It was obvious, even for someone as dense as Naruto, that the Fox cherished his name.

**"Kurama."**

The young jinchūriki's eyes widened a bit upon hearing the Kyūbi's name, and his smile stretched a bit further in the directions of his ears.

"That's a cool name!" he exclaimed, "You shouldn't keep it to yourself like that! It sounds better than Kyūbi, or Bakegitsune, ya know!"

Kurama was startled. It was the first time that someone qualified something even remotely related to him as _cool_. But, being who he was, he started to get suspicious.

**"Why are you acting like that?" **the Fox demanded angrily, **"You know I hate you. You know I almost killed you when your father tried to seal me inside of you, and your parents had to shield you from my claw. You know I am only cooperating with you in order to avoid a fate worse than what I'm already condemned to in that damned seal. So why are you acting like you want us to be friends? Is it a ploy to take a bit more power out of me?"**

Naruto flinched after hearing Kurama's angry retort. Yes, he knew that the bijū hated him (but then again, he seemed to hate everything and everybody) and he also knew of everything that happened during the night of the attack on Konoha. He did resent the Fox a bit for what he had try to do, but then again, Naruto didn't hold grudges. It was pointless. And besides, it was ultimately Madara's fault. So there was no point in staying angry at Kurama forever. If they had to work together, might as well do it on good terms, right?

Wishful thinking, when the Kyūbi was mentioned. But Naruto was stubborn, as the Fox had pointed out.

"No, that's not it." the blond answered. "It's just that since we are in this together, we should try to be friends, don't you think?"

Kurama's reaction to that was to erupt in a mocking laughter. **"Friends? You seriously think we can be friends? Damn, you are even more dumb than I originally thought. You are the first human to ask if I have a name, and this puts you slightly above the rest of your miserable kind, but this doesn't mean that we are friends. I might conceid on us being partners, as we will have to fight together in the upcoming years, but friends? Ha!"**

Naruto was saddened, and a bit angered after being mocked like that by the bijū. He hadn't expected Kurama to pump fists with him right away, but at least to be given a chance. But it looked like it wasn't happening.

"Well, at least I try to be a good guy! You really should try to let go a bit of your hate and anger, ya know. Maybe then you wouldn't be treated as a demon all the time!" the genin retorted, frowning and crossing his arm on his chest.

**"You're one to talk. I am not the only one who has trouble controlling his anger." **Kurama said.

Naruto's frowned deepened. "Why would I have trouble with my anger? I'm not angry."

**"Yes, you are, but you repress it. You lie to yourself everyday. You won't admit it, but you are angry. There is a colossal amount of repressed fury inside you." **the Fox enlightened his host. **"Your childhood left you deeply affected, Naruto. I know it. I was here all the time. You might think that you managed to pull through and that you can just forget what has been done to you. But the truth is, deep down, you are angry at the villagers of Konoha. But you suppressed your feelings, because you wanted to win them over."**

The blond's expression immediately shifted from annoyed to anguish. It couldn't be true. Yes, he was not exactly happy about how he was treated back then, but it had changed now. He had friends, he was accepted by the villagers. It was in the past. He had no reason to be angry.

**"You don't believe me, yet it is true. I admit that you are stronger than the average human. Many would have cracked if they had carried the hatred of a whole village like you did when you were younger. But you weren't left unscathed."**

He was lying, there was no way someone could keep something like that inside him. He wasn't angry at the civilians of Konoha, he wasn't. He wasn't angry at their whispers, their scorn, their indifference. He wasn't angry at the bullies who always picked on him at the Academy, at some of the shopkeepers refusing him into their stores.

But just thinking back about it, he couldn't suppress the slight flickers of rage in his heart. He never really thought back on his childhood. There was no point, it was over. But Kurama's words brought those memories back.

And now that they were back, he couldn't deny what the Fox stated.

Despite himself, despite his happy-go-lucky attitude, despite his smiles, real or fake, Uzumaki Naruto, deep down, was full of resentment. And it scared him.

Kurama sensed his distress. In another situation, he would have been delighted to see his jinchūriki in turmoil, as he was right now. But right now, he needed him to be focused.

**"Stop moping, Naruto. Yes, you have a lot of suppressed anger inside of you. Everyone does. But in your case, this could prove either beneficial or... lethal."**

The last remark caught Naruto's attention and drove him out of his dark thoughts. "What do you mean? My anger could kill me?"

**"Yes, because you are a jinchūriki." **answered the Fox. **"We bijū are beings made of chakra, and as such, everything we do or feel influence our power. Particularly our emotions. Don't you remember when you were on that mission in the Land of Waves, the fight against the Ice Style user, who had seemingly killed that Uchiha brat? You were beyond angry at this point, and you tapped into my chakra subcousciously."**

Naruto did remembered the fight on Tazuna's bridge, nearly a year ago. He had wanted Haku dead during this battle, and he had felt a surge of power after Sasuke had fell into a death-like state.

"So... when I'm really pissed, I use your chakra without knowing?" he asked.

**"Yes, and that's why your repressed feelings could end up being your doom." **Kurama answered. **"If one day somebody or something really pushes you over the edge, you might snap. And the angrier you feel, the more of my power will be channeled into your body. And as you gain power, you lose your control over me. That is what happened last night."**

Naruto blanched, and then tried to reassure himself. "Yeah but... You said you wouldn't try to take control of me, right? So it's okay!"

Unfortunately, Kurama was bad at reassuring people. **"I won't try to possess you willingly. But this, I can not prevent."**

"What!" shrieked the spiky-haired boy, "What do you mean!? You won't try to take over but you will take over?! That doesn't make any god damn sense!"

**"Shut up and let me finish, idiot!" **roared the Fox, **"I already told you, I am made of chakra, and as such, it carries over my emotions! And since I am a concentration of hatred and anger, you will be affected by it too when you'll use my strength!"**

Naruto was starting to feel a mix of frustration, panic and impatience. "So what do I do?! There is not even a point to become partners if I can't use your chakra!"

**"Simple. Whatever you have bottled up inside, you let it out. You already did it with your father and your teacher. I'm not telling you to go around your village and yelling or beating the villagers, even though it would please me if you did, but just to admit that what you had to go through was unfair." **Kurama said.

Lowering his head, the blond thought back of all the memories he thought he had buried in the deepest corner of his mind. That time when three bullies had given him a beating just because he wanted to be Hokage in front of the Academy. That time when a family had just passed in front of him when he was eating ramen on a bench, and the father had told his son not to associate with him. That time when he was thrown out of a shop because he had looked at the mask displayed on the shelves, and the people walking in the streets had stopped just to watch him with indifference or contempt.

Even some bad memories of his friends came to the front of his mind. When Kiba would mock his lack of talent in the Clone Technique. When Sasuke would humiliate him in front of the class. When Ino would laugh at him because of his orange clothes. When he would get hit by Sakura when he asked her on a date.

He even thought about the Sandaime. The man had lied to him about his parents, and, while he had done what he thought was the best for him, he had failed, and in the end, even though his status as a jinchūriki was never revealed to the younger generation, the hate of their parents surely was passed on.

But that didn't matter, not anymore. Yes, he had a crappy childhood, and he wouldn't just try to ignore it anymore. He had a right to be angry. He might even be entitled to claim revenge. But he wouldn't walk that path. Naruto wasn't one to hold grudges. He wouldn't give in to hatred like Sasuke. The young Uchiha was living in the past, unable to move on until his brother was dead. And for this one objective, he had forsaken his friends and his village. But the Uzumaki wasn't like that. He was turned towards the future.

"You know, you're right... I am angry. Or rather, I should be angry." started Naruto, "But that would be the easy way. I can't just forget what I had to go through. But I can move past that. I can forgive! Maybe it was painful, but it also got me where I am today! That's where I got my nindō from! I won't just give in to my darkness like that! I'll master your chakra Kurama, and I won't lose control! Believe it!"

The Fox looked at his jinchūriki with surprise, once again. He had underestimated him. Maybe this runt was slightly worthy of using what he had reluctantly accepted to share with him.

**"If your resolve is that strong, then maybe you'll go somewhere. Now that this is out of the way, we should go back to what you came here for." **

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish way. His stroll down memory lane had momentarily made him forget why he was talking with Kurama in the first place. "Yeah, you're right. So, you'll give me your chakra then? You also said something about gifts, right?"

**"I didn't expect you to remember about that... but yes. Beside my chakra, there are two of my abilities that I am willing to share with you. Consider yourself honored, Naruto. Even Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the Shodai Hokage, could only master one of those two on her own." **said Kurama in a solemn tone.

"Coooooool!" Naruto was extatic. He would receive jutsus from one of the most powerful being on Earth! He was so excited that he completely forgot for a moment their previous conversation. His anger issue could wait. He had kickass techniques to learn!

**"The first of my abilities is the Negative Emotions Sensing. It allows me to feel any negative emotions such as hatred, anger, fear, lust, deceit or killing intent from any living being around me." **explained the bijū.

"Huh... that's all?" asked Naruto. He was a bit disappointed. He expected something like the ability to shoot laser beams or to move at the speed of light.

**"Your idiocy knows no limit, does it?" **growled Kurama.** "It would allow you to identify any imposters, see through lies, or even catch a traitor among your peers! Coming from me, it might sound surprising, but brute strength isn't always the best option. It is better to prevent a disaster than to deal with it after it happened, don't you think?"**

Now, that sounded better for the blond knucklehead. "When you put it like that, it sounds great!"

**"Don't expect to master it right away. You will most likely only sense killing intent and hatred at the beginning, and only if the feeling is strong." **warned the Fox.

Naruto flashed a confident smile at the bijū. "I'll have it in my pocket in no time, Kurama, believe it! Now tell me, what's the other one?"

The Fox sighed. He preferred the thoughtful Uzumaki over the hot-headed one. He was quickly getting on his nerves. But at least, he was motivated.

**"My second ability is directly link to my chakra. You won't be able to master it if you can't handle my power." **started Kurama, **"Some bijū have an affinity towards an element. You saw that the Ichibi can manipulate sand. In a similar manner, the Yonbi and the Gōbi can conjure lava and steam respectively."**

"Steam? So he can boil water? He can cook ramen?"

Ignoring his jinchūriki's important (at least, in any Uzumaki's mind) question, Kurama continued. **"I, however, can manipulate raw chakra better than any of them. I can even separate a tail worth of it from me, and manipulate it to create a brand new entity, with its own techniques. Those entities are called the Nine Masked Beasts.** **They are a sort of mix between your Shadow Clones and your summons. They come from me, but are different at the same time."**

Naruto eyes widened in awe. He could have another summon available beside the toads? That was more like it! It souded better than the Negative Emotions Sensing to him. It was a tangible technique that could kick someone's butt. Exactly what he liked.

"Awesome! When do I learn that?" he asked, or more like shouted.

**"Never. You can't learn to do that." **stated Kurama flatly.

The face Naruto made was the best imitation ever made by a human being of a puppy who just got kicked by its owner. "But... but... why did you mentioned it, then?"

**"Because you won't be the one creating them, Naruto. I will. However, I could give you the ability to summon them. However, there is a problem with that." **answered the Fox.

The spiky-haired boy groaned. There was something preventing him from using the Kyūbi's power.

Again.

"What is it this time? I won't turn into a psycho just for that, even if your jutsu sounds awesome, ya know!"

**"The problem is that you already signed a summoning contract. After having spent roughly eighty years sealed inside two Uzumaki seal masters, I picked up one thing or two aout fūinjutsu. On top of being use to bind my kind inside humans in a literal sense, it can also bind two beings, or group of beings, with each other, in a more abstract sense."**

"Huh... okay... so it has something to do with seals..." muttered Naruto. He had never been one for theorical explanations. He preferred practice.

**"A summoning contract functions like that." **continued Kurama, either not noticing or caring that he had just lost his container. **"By using your blood to sign the contract, it binds you to a certain animal clan, and in return, they lend you their assistance. In return, you do not seek help from other summoned creatures, and you assist them should the need arise. I could create a summoning contract inside this mindscape that would bind me to you, and as a result, my creations. And before you get funny ideas," **Kurama warned a confused Naruto, **"it would be impossible to summon me outside, and the Nine Masked Beasts wouldn't be at their full power because of the Hakke no Fūin. But before that, you'd need to break your contract with the Toads."**

"What! So I can't have both the Toads and your funky Clones?" asked Naruto in an alarmed voice. That was a tough choice to make. The Nine Masked Beasts sounded awesome, but he liked the Toads, even if Gamabunta was not the friendliest amphibian around. And the Toads had been his father's summons too. On the other hand, signing this contract with Kurama could be a way to strengthen their ability to cooperate. It was a part of the bijū's power, and he was set on mastering it in order to protect Konoha. But he also suspected that his godfather wouldn't be too happy to learn that he had dumped the summons he had taught him to call at his side.

How was he supposed to decide?

**"I am not forcing you to decide right now. Discuss it with your perverted teacher." **said Kurama. **"We are not finished on the terms of our... alliance." **

Glad to have a distraction, if only momentarily, Naruto gazed expectantly at his tenant. He had personnaly nothing to ask. As long as the bijū stayed on his side, he was happy.

**"I'll do it quick.**" began the Fox. **"I will allow you to use my chakra as you see fit in battle. But only if you have no other choice, or if you are facing the Akatsuki or Madara. You will have to call for me eventually, but i expect you to grow strong on your own. I won't have a weakling as my jinchūriki, as I already mentioned. It is part of my concessions. There are only two more."**

"Only two? I expected much worse from you, Kurama." teased Naruto.

**"Those two are the more important. Firstly, I expect you to kill Madara. You have a tendency to talk to your opponents to make them change their ways, like you did with Zabuza and Gaara. I won't have any of that with the Uchiha. I wan't to see him dead at your feet. Is that clear?" **demanded the Fox menacingly.

The blond genin nodded grimly. He knew that Madara wasn't up to something good, and that he wouldn't have any qualms in killing him. He was behind the death of his parents. But still, taking a life wasn't something he was looking forward to.

Satisfied by Naruto's silent answer, Kurama continued. **"Secondly, I want my Yin chakra back."**

"Huh? Your what chakra?" asked the Uzumaki.

The Kyūbi could already see the massive headache coming his way, with all the dumbed-down explanations and frustrations his container put him through today.

**"My Yin Chakra. You do not seem to remember, to I will explain it again. Your father mentioned that he only sealed half of my chakra inside of you. My Yang chakra, to be precise. My Yin half, he sealed it inside himself, before being caught in the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. I want you to find a way to retrieve it, so I can be whole again. Besides, it would allow you to get more power from me." **Kurama clarified.

The blond was a bit sceptical. Sure, they were allied, but he did not trust the bijū yet. "If I accept, you swear you won't try anything against me or my friends, right?"

The Fox growled in indignation. Just because he was a walking disaster didn't mean he would break a deal like that. Particularly one that was meant to protect him.

**"I have some honor too, you know? More than some humans. I won't try to break out of the seal. At least, until Madara is dead. I swear this on the Sage of the Six Path's name." **he said solemnly.

Naruto didn't who was that Six Path guy, but he could tell that Kurama wasn't lying. Flashing his tenant a toothy grin, along with a nice-guy pose, the blond was more than happy to finally seal the deal with the Kyūbi.

"Then, from now on, we are partners!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Even Kurama couldn't help a small smile from forming on his lips. Sure, the knucklehead was annoying, but it was the first time that he would get to truly share his powers rather than having them forcefully taken from him. And if that meant he would get to see Madara dead, it was worth it.

The following years would be interesting indeed.

**"If you insist on putting it like that... I guess we are."**

* * *

Jiraiya was starting to get impatient. It had been a while since Naruto had fallen in a state of... whatever jinchūriki fell in when they were in their mindscape. He had noticed that the blond's face had twitched every now and then, displaying several emotions, between sadness, anger, and happiness.

While his godson was having a chat with the Kyūbi, the Toad Sage was busy thinking about what kind of training he would put Naruto through. Obviously, given the new circumstances, he would have to make it more intense. He had thought about an old application of the Kage Bunshin that might help them speed it up.

The first thing on Jiraiya's list was to make Naruto go through the basis all over again : from chakra control, to taijutsu, genjutsu and ninjustu practice and theories. He knew that his godson would never be able to use most genjutsu techniques due to his large chakra reserve and poor control, and that trying to teach him only one taijutsu style wouldn't give bare good results, given the blond's unpredictable nature and his habits of thinking of a strategy or striking on the fly, some basic knowledge wouldn't hurt him, far from it.

That didn't mean he would neglect working his body. Many people thought that Minato was as fast as he was because he was born like that, but in truth his swiftness and lightning-fast reflexes came from years and years of intense workout. And Jiraiya would put his godson through the exact same torture that his father had been.

It was certain that Naruto would excel in ninjutsu. Being a jinchūriki gave him unparalleled stamina and fast recovery, perfect for shooting multiple strong jutsu repeatedly. Jiraiya would have to check his chakra affinity, but he had a hinch that it was wind, like Minato and Kushina. He would also need to perfect his Rasengan, and eventually learn the variations, or come with new ones on his own.

The Toad Sage also thought that fūinjutsu would be a good asset to Naruto's arsenal. He was an Uzumaki, after all, and it would give him some sort of connection to his old clan. It might be something hard to teach the hyperactive blond, as it required patience and focus, but his mother had the same temperament, and yet she had been as good, if not better than Jiraiya in the arts of sealing.

Then, of course, came his speciality : the Toads. It was a bit eary for Sage Mode, as he needed a more mature body to handle the natural energy, but the collaboration techniques could be remarkably effective if used correctly.

Naruto had a lot to learn, but Jiraiya was confident. If his godson was one thing, it was determinated. He would pull through easily, and ask for more.

The Sannin was pulled out of his thoughs when he heard the blond boy's grunting. He was finally coming out of his trance, and the Sage was impatient to know how Naruto's talk with his inner demon went.

"Welcome back, gaki." he greeted his awakening student. "So, the old Fox wasn't too hard on you, I hope? You managed to strike a deal?"

Shaking his head to get rid of the slight dizziness of coming out of his mindscape, Naruto turned towards Jiraiya, and gave him a thumbs-up. "You bet, Ero-Sennin! I have a new partner now!"

The Sannin smiled proudly at his godson. Trust an Uzumaki to make the impossible possible. "Good, now don't leave me hanging, what happened in that thick head of yours?"

Groaning slighly at light jab, Naruto proceeded to go over his conversation with Kurama, not letting out anything. And for the second time today, Jiraiya was shifting between different reactions as his godson was speaking. He was impressed with his bravery in front of the Kyūbi, saddened by his painful reminiscence of his childhood, and proud of his resolution to master the bijū's chakra.

However, when he heard about the Kumenjū, and the fact that Naruto needed to cancel his partnership with the Toads in order to gain the abiity to summon them, he couldn't hold back an indignified shout of protestation.

"Wait a minute! You are actually considering signing this contract with the Fox?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I figured you would react like that. But you gotta admit that his summons sound awesome! I really like the Toads, but... I wan't to master all of the Kyūbi's abilities! And maybe it will help us communicate or something, ya know!"

"Have you forgotten that Minato was a Toad summoner too?" said Jiraiya angrily. "If I recall, it was Gamabunta who saved your ass from the Ichibi during the invasion, right? And there are a lot of things you could learn from them, such as senjutsu! I really don't think that's a good idea!"

"Senjutsu? What's that?" Naruto asked. Anything ending with 'jutsu' got his rapt attention.

"The art of using natural energy to strengthen your body and chakra!" exclaimed the Toad Sage proudly. "It allows you to enter Sage Mode, where all of your senses are magnified, your taijutsu and ninjutsu tremendously stronger! The epythom of awesomeness!"

Naruto had stars in his eyes. If the Toads had that, screw the Masked Beasts!

_**'The Toads are not the only one knowledgeable in manipulating natural energy.' **_the blond heard the familiar deep voice of Kurama say in his head.

"Wait a minute, how can you talk to me out of my mindscape?" he asked out loud.

"What are you talking about, gaki? Is the Fox giving you problems?" said Jiraiya.

"He just talked to me!" Naruto exclaimed.

_**'Of course I did, idiot. Your father left the seal a bit more loose after he left. It allows me to speak to you even when we are not in front of each other. You can just think to reply to me, I'll hear it, and it will be less awkward for the people around you.' **_Kurama retorted in an annoyed tone.

_'Oh, alright... wait, you said you knew about this Sage thing?'_

_**'No' **_clarified the Fox, **_'but I know quite a bit about natural energy, as I said. To be honest, my chakra was originally coming from nature before I was... whatever, this is not the time for a story. But I already witnessed a senjutsu user in action before, and he wasn't a Toad summoner.'_**

_'Who was it?' _asked Naruto.

_**'Senju Hashirama, the Shodai Hokage. After he defeated Madara, he used it, combined with his Wood Style, to subdue me in order to let his wife Mito seal me inside herself. It was quite impressive, to be honest.'**_

_'Oh, so I could learn it somewhere else?'_

_**'Perhaps. Maybe there are notes about it in the old Senju compound.'**_

_'So I could get both that Sage thing and the Masked Beasts...' _the blond thought. He jolted when he felt someone poke his cheek, only to find that it was Jiraiya, who looked quite exasperated.

"Quit spacing-out like that when I'm talking to you, gaki." the Sage said annoyed.

"I wasn't spacing-out!" the blond replied loudly. "I was talking with Kur- I mean the Kyūbi! He said that there were other way to learn Sage Mode, like the Shodai Hokage did."

Jiraiya facepalmed in frustration. "I thought you let that go. You still want to summon those... whatever they are called? And beside, even if there are actually other way to learn senjutsu, doing it alone would be extremely dangerous. Even with the Toad Elders' help, it was risky."

"Well, if you know it already, you could give me tips to make it less dangerous!" Naruto retorted.

The Sannin blinked. He hadn't thought about that. But still, the Toad summonin contract was a sort of heirloom, and he wanted someone to take his role of Toad Sage when he retired or died.

"I still think it's a bad idea, gaki. The Toads are among the most powerful summons." Jiraiya said almost pleadingly.

Naruto was a bit saddened at hearing the tone of his godfather. But if he really wanted to cooperate with Kurama, he would need the Kumenjū. And now that there was a possibility he could learn Sage Mode on his own, the choice felt easier.

_**'Is he implying that a summoned creature I, the mighty Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, would create wouldn't be able to match against a dirty frog? This is very insulting.' **_growled the bijū in the young Uzumaki's mind.

_'Well, Gamabunta is really strong. Didn't he immobilized you when you were under Madara's control? And he helped me againt Gaara too.' _Naruto asked, knowing that it would piss his tenant off.

_**'Do NOT mention that night again.' **_said Kurama menacingly.

Nodding mentally, the blond returned his focus on Jiraiya. "C'mon Ero-Sennin, it's the Fox that creates them! They should be plenty strong! And if I really need to work with him, I should learn from him too!"

"What about the whole 'those who abandon their comrades are worst than trash' thing you had going? Aren't the Toads your comrades?" the Sannin retorted.

"Of course I considered that! I'm friends with Gamakichi and Gamatatsu! But now, even if I don't really like it, and he probable doesn't too, the Kyūbi is my comrade! It pains me to cancel my contract with the Toads, but if signing that contract with the Fox allows me to be strong enough to protect everyone I care about from whatever Madara wants to do with the bijū, then... then I'll do it! And even if I am not allowed to summon the Toads anymore, I'll still consider them my comrades, and I'll protect them too!"

Sighing dejectedly, Jiraiya looked with an air of defeat at his apprentice. "You won't change your mind, won't you?" he asked. Naruto nodded vigorously. Another sigh. "Fine. Do it then. I guess I'll have to find someone else to carry the torch of the Toad Sage."

"The guilt card won't work on me, ya know. I'm still a bit mad at you."

The Sannin shrugged. "Worth a try."

* * *

After yet another trip in his mindscape to sign the freshly created contract of Kurama, Naruto got up from his sleeping bag, and was now standing in what used to be the court of the ancient keep they were camping in, listening to the Kyūbi's instruction.

_**'I won't repeat myself, Naruto, so listen well. While it is true that you can summon the Masked Beasts after you signed that contract, you won't be able to use the regular Summoning Technique.'**_

_'Huh? Why not?' _asked the blond confusedly.

_**'Because it is a ninjutsu technique. The way I am creating the Masked Beasts is through the use of a long lost art created by the most powerful man to ever live, the ninshū. Before you ask me what it is, I'll tell you that it is the precursor of ninjutsu. It was meant to bring and maintain peace, but mankind corrupted it, and used it to wage war.'**_

_'Oh... So what kind of technique should I use?'_

_**'I have an idea. Listen carefully, and repeat what I'm about to tell you.'**_

Giving an attentive ear to his tenant, Naruto closed his eyes in concentration, memorizing the formula Kurama was teaching him. He asked for a second recitation before being confident enough yJiraiya. Even though he still felt that the Toads were more useful than the Nine Masked Beasts, he was still curious to see them.

"Nine Masked Svāhā..." started Naruto, "Sei, Byaku, Shu, Gen, Kū, Nan, Hoku, San, Gyoku… Nine Masked Beasts!"

As he was calling each nin symbol, a massive mandala, composed of nine kanji encircled by nine rings formed behind him. And from each ring, a form started to appear. After they were fully materialized, they dropped in frond of their summoner. Opening his eyes after hearing the soft noise their landing produced, Naruto was excited to finally see Masked Beasts, as he was impatient to admire his new summons.

But all he saw were nine masked foxes. Nine masked fox kits. Tiny fox kits.

Confusion. Disappointment. Frustration. Anger.

_'WHAT THE FUCK KURAMA?! I DITCHED THE TOADS FOR THOSE LAME ASS PUPPIES?!'_

_**'Calm down, Naruto. This is their original appearance.' **_the Fox said calmly. **_'Take a loot at their combat form.'_**

Suddenly, smoke erupted around each of the kits. And when it dissipated, the kits were nowhere to be found. In their places were a dragon bearing a likeness to a seahorse, a massive, yet slender white tiger, a huge and elegant bird, large enough to be rode on, a tortoise with an armored shell, a long snake with golden scales, a woman with an angelic aspect and garments, with translucent ribbons attached to her arms, floating above the ground (and on which Jiraiya was already drooling on, shamelessly looking at her generous curves), a cloaked figure looking like a skeleton, armed with a massive scythe, who was levitating too, and two similar looking priests, wearing rich robes and leaning on fox staves. Even in these much more impressive forms, the Masked Beasts kept their kitsune masks.

_**'Isn't that better?' **_asked Kurama with barely concealed pride in his creations. **_'They each have their own names : Seiryū _**(Azure Dragon)_**, Byakko **_(White Tiger)**_, Suzaku _**(Vermilion Bird)_**, Genbu **_(Black Tortoise)**_, Kinja _**(Golden Snake)_**, Tennyo **_(Celestial Maiden)**_, Shinigami _**(Death God)_**, Hokuto Sennin **_(Northern Sage) **_and Nanto Sennin _**(Southern Sage)_**. They are the Nine Masked Beasts, the nine aspects of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.'**_

Now this, Naruto had to admit, looked cool. His new summons were badass. Even Jiraiya was impressed. It was not everyday that you was that kind of technique. He also noticed that it was not a ninjutsu that his pupil had used. The Sannin was really intrigued now.

"Awesome! With this I'll totally plow the Akatsuki and Orochimaru's ass, save Sasuke, and protect Konoha!" the blond shouted to the sky.

_**'Before you continue on how awesome you are' **_said Kurama, **_'I should tell you more about their abilities. The first five ones, the Divine Beasts, or mostly for physical attacks. Seiryū and Byakko are extremely fast and strong, Suzaku, of course, can fly and produce waves of wind from his wings. Genbu can wisthand extremely strong blows, and his excellent to shield you. Kinja can bury himself and bind his target with his body. The four other ones, the Divine Priests, can use chakra based techniques. Tennyo can bind or even seal her prey with her ribbons. Shinigami can shoot waves of energy with his scythe that drain the chakra of whatever they pass through. Both he and Tennyo can also fly, but not as fast as Suzaku. Hokuto and Nanto Sennin have the same powers : they can create chakra barriers to either protect or trap their target.'_**

"Yeah! Awesome!" yelled Naruto again, before relaying to Jiraiya everything he had learned about the Masked Beasts. The Sage had to admit that they were powerful summons, but he was especially intrigued by the fact that they were conjured through ninshū rather than ninjutsu.

He decided to keep his curiosity for later, however. Now was the time to begin their training.

"Alright, Naruto. Dispell your summons. Its time we seriously started on why we are here for in the first place, don't you think?"

This one sentence managed to make the blond even more excited. Finally, training!

"I'm warning you : what I had originally planned for you was hard. But after everything we learned since yesterday, I'm sure you will agree that we need to step it up a notch." said Jiraiya with a serious expression. Now wasn't the time to be goofing around. He had a godson to torture. "I'm going to put you through hell, several times. Are you ready for this?"

With a confident grin, Naruto pumped his fist up, before he looked like he remembered something very important. "Huh, yeah sure, but first..."

"Yes?"

"Where's my jumpsuit?"

"Oh... huh..." Jiraiya rubbed the back of his head in a similar fashion his godson would have, while avoiding his questioning eyes. "Hum... it kinda... burned to ashes... when you, you know... along with your hitai-ate."

"But..." Naruto started, dramatic tears already starting to form. "It was so cool! Where will I find another as dashing as that one? And my hitai-ate!It was a gift from Iruka-sensei!"

And that's how the training regimen of Uzumaki Naruto began, with the mighty Jiraiya of the Sannin trying to comfort his weeping godson, promising to buy him a new jumpsuit in the next town they would enter, and a new hitai-ate once they were back in Konoha.

* * *

**I hope you aren't too mad that Naruto isn't a Toad summoner anymore. But as I said in chapter 1, his techniques will be similar to those of Menma from the movie _Road to Ninja_. And I have to admit that I really like the Nine Masked Beasts, as they remind me of the Ninetails from the game _Ōkami _(one of my favorite video games).**

**EDIT: Several people brought up that it was possible for someone to have several Summoning contracts, with the exemple of Sasuke. I admit that I kind of overlooked that, since it's been a while since I've read his fight against Danzō**, **and I also tend to find Sasuke a bit too much protected by his plot armor: by that, I mean summoning Manda and putting him under a genjutsu in order to escape Deidara's last attack, even though it was clear that he was completely exhausted, conveniently pulling out of nowhere said Hawk summon, or casually absorbing Jū****go's natural energy into his Susanoo. Maybe I'm a bit biased, since I don't like Sasuke that much, but in this fic, he'll only have the Snakes, and Naruto will keep Nine Masked Beasts.**

**I won't really go over Naruto's training. However, you'll see some of the results in the next chapter, which will be a time-skip of one and hald year, the last one before they go back to Konoha.**

**I will try to have chapter 4 down faster than this one, but no promises. Hopefully, I won't have to rewrite it as much.**

**Hope you enjoyed it! Please review!**


	4. Killing Monsters

**Well, I failed to update sooner than last time, so instead I'll try to keep a schedule of one chapter every week. Keyword try.**

**Some people were concerned about the Rasenshuriken. Don't worry, Naruto will have it, but he won't be able to throw it just yet.**

**Thanks for the reviews, and special thanks to yukicrewger2, who gave me great ideas that I will most certainly include in later chapters!**

**WARNING:** **This chapter contains mentions of rape and a bit of go****re.****  
**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still not owning Naruto.**

* * *

It was a cloudy evening in Land of Mountains, making the small country seem even more sad than it already was. Thirty years ago, it was in the arid mountains of this small nation that the Hidden Vilage of Kagerō was located, before it was destroyed by an enemy that was never identified, even though it was widely believed that the attack came from Iwa, but no proof were ever found in the ashes of Kagerō.

And it was in this couldy day that two peculiar figures were making their way down one of the small and rocky roads of Land of Mountains. One was easily identified as the Toad Sage, Jiraiya, still wearing the same type of clothes and still keeping his white hair in an unruly mane. The other one, however, might no be as easily recognized.

The second traveller was a teenager who couldn't be older than fourteen. He had spiky and unkept blond hair, bright blue eyes, sun-kissed skin, and three curious marks on each cheek, reminiscent of whiskers. He was wearing a black long-sleeved jacket, with a red whirlpool symbol on the back and a white swirl with a tassel on the left side, grey pants with a shuriken holster tied to his right leg, and black shinobi boots. His whole outfit was obviously brand new, as it lacked any signs of long-time use.

Of course, this blond teenager was none other than Uzumaki Naruto. And, in the one and a half year he had spend on the road with his godfather, he had grown up, physically and mentally.

He wasn't small anymore. In fact, as far as his height was concern, puberty had been good to him. He was now slightly taller than the average fourteen year-old boy. And his jacket concealed a well-toned body, that he had acquired after countless hours of the harshest physical training the Toad Sage could deliver.

But beside his growth spur, it was his mental development that might surprise his peers back in Konoha. While he was still his happy-go-lucky usual self, it felt somewhat toned down, and yet more genuine, as if an exaggerated mask had been thrown away, and replace with a more restrained, but truthful attitude. And indeed, Naruto, after his talk with the Kyūbi, had let go of the facade he had put up to keep his worst memories and emotions away.

Even intellectually, as surprising as it would seem, Naruto had made some progress. He actually thought, if only for a short time, before acting. He also learned to stay put and focus for longer period of times, as his training in fūinjutsu required.

Speaking of the sealing arts, Jiraiya was quite pleased with his student's progress. It had been difficult at the start, but when the Sage had told his godson that a great deal of Minato's power, particularly his most powerful technique, the Flying Thunder God, came from his mastery in fūinjutsu, and that his mother's clan, the Uzumaki, were renowned as the greatest seal masters in history, the blond's interest and motivation in learning were significantly raised up.

However, it was hard to appreciate the blond's growing maturity, as he was currently brooding childishly and making grimaces while looking at his new clothes.

"I don't like them."

Jiraiya massaged his temples in frustration. But he wouldn't budge. If Naruto was to be a true shinobi (and he was well on his way to become one), he might as well look like one.

"Come on, stop it already! Even the Kyūbi agrees with me! In fact, I'm pretty sure he prefers to have a good-looking jinchūriki rather than a fool begging to be killed by wearing bright clothes!"

_**'I agree with the pervert, for once. At least you look somewhat professional like this.' **_

"But!" yelled Naruto, who looked like a spoiled princess who didn't receive a pony for her birthday, "Those clothes have no orange on them!"

_**'Orange is not suited for your profession, idiot.' **_said Kurama, annoyed at his container's constant whining.

_'You're one to talk, you are orange! Stupid Fox!' _retorted the young Uzumaki.

_**'I can't help it, you pathetic mongrel! That's the colour of my fur! And besides, even if I was of a less noticeable tint, I'm still as tall as a hill! How do you expect to remain hidden in the shadows looking like a shining carrot?' **_

This was one thing that didn't changed much. Naruto and Kurama's relationship never went past strict partnership. Not that the blond never tried to be the Fox's friend. But the bijū really didn't want any of it, even though he had warmed up just a little bit.

_'Well, I managed to escape the ANBU when I was little...' _answered Naruto. Really, he had managed well until now, wearing orange. So why was everyone against him like that?

"If you want to be taken seriously as a ninja, Naruto, you have to look like one too." said Jiraiya. "And, seriously, if you keep wearing orange, you'll never catch a girl! No woman would ever want to date a guy wearing the eyesore you called a jumpsuit!"

Meanwhile, in Konoha, in the Hyūga compound, a certain blue-haired girl had a sudden urge to sneeze, which she just so happened to do right in her cousin's face as they were sparing.

Back in the Land of Mountains, Naruto muttered curses, before finally relenting, to the relief of both Jiraiya and Kurama. "Fine, fine. No more orange on my shinobi clothes... but when I'm off duty, I'll wear what I want!"

"Meh, whatever. If this is what it takes to make you stop being an annoying little gaki, fine." said the Sannin.

They continued to walk in silence for a bit, occupying themselves in different fashion. Naruto took out several dried leaves from his pouch, practicing nature transformations with them. He alternatively tried to split them in two, burn them to small piles of ashes or make them wet. Jiraiya was pleased when they had found that, indeed, Naruto shared both Minato and Kushina's affinities for Wind, but also had a talent for Fire ninjutsu, and even, quite surprisingly, for Water. The Toad Sage didn't know many wind and water techniques, beside the basic ones, but he was very knowledgeable with fire, being an expert in the art of using it himself, and having been trained by the Sandaime Hokage.

Jiraiya, on his part, was currently busy thinking about a steamy scene that he had been thinking about for three days, and that he absolutely wanted to write down as soon as possible. Just because you were training your godson to face a group of S-rank nukenin didn't mean that you couldn't continue to bless the world with your divine romances. Luckily for the Super Pervert, they were nearing a small town called Yamatsuri. However, he also remembered the situation of the country they were in, and decided to warn his apprentice.

"Naruto, before we enter this town, you should be aware that Yama no Kuni is currently barely more than an outpost for the village of Iwa. There is a very high probability that we will run into some Rock shinobi."

"I know, I should keep a low profile or even use a henge, right?" the blond asked. It was painfully obvious, as he was growing up, that Naruto looked like Minato. If his head was less round and his hair longer, he could easily pass for a clone of a teenager Yondaime Hokage, minus the whiskers.

Jiraiya nodded, pleased that his student had understood immediately. "Yes. Patrols are frequent in these parts. Yamatsuri is a very small town, so they will quickly notice any strangers. Focus on your sensory ability, just in case."

Naruto hadn't just progressed in elemental ninjutsu and fūinjutsu, he also made progress with Kurama's power: he quickly learned how to use the Negative Emotions Sensing : he could more or less turn it on or off, to avoid being overwhelmed by other people's hatred or anger if there were too many of them. He wasn't able to sense all kind of emotions on the same degree, as it was easier to sense hatred and killing intent than deceit or sorrow.

The blond closed his eyes in concentration for a second, allowing his senses to expand. It was a really weird experience to feel other people's emotions, and Naruto couldn't really describe it. He wasn't able to determinate the origin of the emotion: if he sensed hatred, he wasn't able to determine towards who or what it was directed, but he could feel its intensity. Sensing killing intent was much easier too, even if it was repressed, meaning that sneaking up on Naruto while he was focusing on his ability was extremely hard.

Finally entering the small town, Jiraiya and his apprentice immediately started looking for an inn. As they were walking in the main street, the young Uzumaki was able to witness the obvious state of poverty and the gloomy, sad atmosphere of the country. The walls of the houses were in an advanced state of decay, the road was dirty, litered with broken glass and other substances he really didn't want to identify, beggars were trying to keep the cold wind coming from the mountains away with their rags and torn blankets, and the few people outside were all looking down. It reminded Naruto of the Land of Waves, before the island was freed from Gatō. Seeing such misery made him angry, but he knew that this time, he couldn't help them. Bringing attention to him, when he was so close of Iwagakure, would be suicidal.

It also made him think of the trap-master, Gennō. The old man used to be a Kagerō shinobi, and he had wanted to blow up Konoha using a vast chain of explosive tag planted all around the village. Naruto remembered that it was only because he had reminded the trap master of his son that they avoided a disaster. Nonetheless, the man had a good heart, despite his desire of retribution, and seeing the state of Land of Mountains with his own eyes gave him a better understanding of Gennō's motivation.

As a small inn finally came into view, the young Uzumaki suddenly sensed something that made him sick to his stomach. Something he only ever had sensed coming from Jiraiya, but never in such quantity, or radiating with such evil intent.

This foreign and horrid feeling almost made him throw up. Noticing his pupil's distress, the Toad Sage turned to face him, and was about to ask if he was okay, when a scream of terror and despair was heard, coming from inside the inn. And, with that scream, new emotions flooded Naruto's mind: fear, and disgust.

Just as the young jinchūriki was about to enter the building and stop whatever was happening inside, two shinobi from Iwa, if their red and brown uniform and their hitai-ate was anything to go by, exited the inn, dragging a middle-aged woman behind them. She was obviously frightened, but her cries for mercy were not for her.

"Please! Stop him! Don't let him use my daughter like that!"

The shorter of the two ninja, a brown-haired and man with a bulky build, only smirked, before slapping the innkeeper, shutting her and making her lose her balance. "What are you complaining about? We paid graciously to sleep in this shithole you call an inn! It's only fair that we get to have a little fun while we're here, don't you think?"

Holding her bruised cheek, the innkeeper shakily stood up, tears streaming down her face. "Anything but that... please! Not my daughter! I'll... I'll let you do it to me instead! But please! Not my Kaede!"

The other shinobi, a tall and slender man with dark red hair, laughed lecherously after hearing the woman's plight. "Heh, don't worry, you'll have your turn. You're quite well conserved for your age, you know? Maybe after our squad leader let us get our share of your daughter, we'll give you a good time too!"

"I ain't gonna wait any longer!" protested the bulky ninja. Removing his belt, he started to approach the crying woman, when he suddenly noticed Jiraiya and Naruto staring at them. "Move along, you two! We're only getting our reward for patrolling around the pile of shit you call a country!"

The Sannin was enraged. He may have been a womanizer and a shameless pervert, but he still (somewhat) respected women. If there was one thing in this world that he hated, it was rapists. And the intentions of those Iwa shinobi were pretty clear. He was about to jump in defense of the innkeeper, before he was stopped dead in his tracks.

Jiraiya, along with the two ninja, were suddenly hit by the thickest killing intent they ever felt. The Toad Sage immediately where it was coming from, but before he could react, his godson vanished in a red blur.

Naruto had never felt so angry. He could feel his insides burning with a mixture of rage and hatred. Growing up shunned by a whole village gave the young Uzumaki a strong dislike for injustice and bullies. He could not tolerate people who harmed others for their own amusement or gain.

And what he was seeing, and sensing, was on a whole other level than what he ever encountered in his short ninja career. Naruto had almost no experience in all matters of a sexual nature (considering who was training him, it was quite a feat), but even him could understand what was going on. And he would be damned if let that happen. He was too angry to notice the chakra shroud forming on his own, with nine tails wildly wipping the air behind him.

Before Jiraiya could stop him, he used a short range Body-Flicker to appear right in front of the bulky Iwa-nin. And, before he or his companion could react, Naruto used one of the wind jutsu he had created. Stretching out his right arm, already coated with a wild mass of chakra, he switfly swipped it at his target, roaring the name of his technique with an altered voice.

**"Beast Wave Palm!"**

The bulky Iwa shinobi was too slow to react, and the wave of wind chakra bissected him neatly, showering Naruto, the innkeeper and the other Iwa-nin with blood. The would-be rapist, seeing his teammate killed in such a gruesome way, quickly went through a serie of hand signs before the furious jinchūriki could tear him apart too.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"

Naruto rushed towards the remaining shinobi, but before he could reach him, a wall made out of damp dirt emerged from the ground, stopping him in his momentum. But, before the Iwa-nin could escape by using the Hidden Mole Technique, the blond Uzumaki charged one of his signature techniques, now fully able to do it one handed, and overcharged by Kurama's chakra, and slammed it against the earth wall, blowing it apart.

**"Rasengan!"**

The Iwa-nin was thrown away by the power behind the explosion, and collided violently against a wall, leaving a dent in it. Before he could pick himself up and try to flee, Naruto flickered above him, a foot pressed on his stomach, preventing him from moving. And, for the first time, the Iwa-nin had a good look at the blond's face.

His gentle blue eyes were gone, replaced by slitted blood red orbs, glowing with power and malice. His whiskers were bolder and darker, accentuating his feral features. His teeth were now fangs, picking out between his blackened lips. His nails had become sharp claws, directed at the Iwa-nin's throat. But that was not what almost made the Doton user soil himself in sheer terror. No, it was the sadistic and triumphant smirk, that seemed so alien on the blond's face, as well as the colossal killing intent focus solely on the helpless shinobi.

It was true that Naruto could stay in control when he used a certain amount of Kurama's chakra, but that didn't mean that he wasn't affected in some way: he was much more aggressive, and his animalistic instincts went on overdrive. And right now, the Iwa-nin was merely a prey to be killed, a toy to be shred, a nuisance to be annihilated. And the jinchūriki did just that, with a quick swip of his claws, the head of the unlucky Iwa shinobi was sliced beyond recognition.

Just as Naruto finished his second opponent, cries of pain and distress could be heard again coming from inside the inn. Not wasting any second, the blond jinchūriki rushed inside, set on reducing to ashes whoever was the cause of those cries, and the horrible lust he could still sense. And just as he passed the door, he was immediately overcome with pity, disgust, and even more rage and hatred.

Lying on the floor, stark naked and covered in nothing but what smelled like low-cost sake and bodily fluids, was a girl who couldn't be more than two years older than Naruto. Her long black hair were spred around her, tears were streaming down her face, and yet, her grey eyes didn't seemed sad. They were lifeless, dull, showing how broken her aggressor had left her.

Standing next to her was said agressor, wearing the same uniform as his dead teammates. He had a slender, yet muscular build, short ash colored hair, and deep green eyes. His face was a bit flushed, and some bids of sweat were running down his forehead. He was just finishing buttoning his pants, and was about to call his companions to have their share of the "additional inn services", when a black and grey figure, coated in a shroud of red chakra, entered the main room of the building. The last Iwa-nin was frozen in place by the sheer pressure of the crimson cloak of energy and by the evil intent rolling off the newcomer. The girl however, seemed completely oblivious to everything, still looking at nothing and not moving an inch from her position on the dirty floor of the room.

Naruto had never been confronted to a situation like this before, but he could still guess what had happened. The eyes of the innkeeper's daughter were void of any spark that could indicate some sort of fight left in her. And the young Uzumaki, being who he was and following his nindō, to never give up, with zealous fervor, was astonished and terrified to see someone as broken as this girl, and sensing the roller-coaster of emotions she was feeling right now only added to that. And it made him only more furious. Before the rapist could react, Naruto punched him right in the face with bijū-enhanced strength, sending him crashing through a wall in the backyard of the inn.

But, this ninja, contrary to the other two, was a jounin. And as such, he managed to recover just in time to avoid Naruto's Beast Wave Palm by jumping high in the air, before attempting to prepare a jutsu.

Keyword attempting, as before he could start his series of hand signs, he was wrapped with his arms stuck againt his chest by translusent ribbons. He took a look behind his back and saw that he had been caught by a flying woman, wearing ceremonial robes and a kitsune mask, and that the ribbons he was tied with were connected to her arms. The woman swung her hands downwards, causing the trapped Iwa-nin to be propulsed towards the ground. As he violently landed, he could feel, and hear, several of his bones snap under the strength of the impact.

Seeing his prey now immobilized, Naruto dispelled Tennyo, who he had summoned with hard-attained speed after seeing his target trying to keep his distance with him, and slowly walked towards the Iwa-nin, while profusedly showering him with killing intent.

The rapist was close to losing the control of his bladder. He could feel that the chakra coming from that boy was radiating evil, and the pressure of his power was suffocating. Adding the bloodthirsty look on his face and his maniacal grin didn't made it any easier for him to keep his pants clean before he died – at this point, he kew that he was screwed.

"You... you're a... a demon..." he managed to say before Naruto stopped in front of his broken body, hunched over to face him directly.

Hearing this made something snap inside the jinchūriki. For a long time, he had heard the whispers behind his back, the villagers being angry because of his pranks, ordering their children to stay away from him, calling him names: 'punk', 'good-for-nothing', 'troublemaker', 'monster', and sometimes...

'Demon'.

He had ignored, at the time. But hearing it again, after his talk with Kurama, stroke a cord inside him. He no longer tried to flee his past, but that didn't mean that he had fully come to terms with it yet. And for a second, he did not see the Iwa-nin in front of him. He saw the shopkeeper who yelled at him for looking at his masks, he saw the woman who complained loudly to her friend when he became an Academy student. He saw Mizuki, laughing in glee as he hwitnessed the shock plastered on his face after the traitor had revealed the truth about the Kyūbi's fate. He saw many more faces, between the boys who bullied him, to the villagers who insulted him.

His sinister smile grew larger. He could feel the fear coming from his prey. It was exhilarating.

**"A demon?" **Naruto said in a deeper and huskier voice. **"Maybe you are right... But then, what does that make you?"**

Grabging the helpless Iwa-nin, he yanked him closer, before stretching his free arm back, to deal the final blow.

Seeing this, the shinobi finally lost it, and despite his wounds, he tried to escape the blond's grip. "No! Let me go! I am an Iwa jounin! What do you think you are doing?!" he shouted desperatly.

**"What I am doing?" **asked Naruto with amusement. His smile widened once more, showing more of his fangs. **"Killing monsters, that's what."**

And the Uzumaki plunged his hand into his victim's chest, grabbed his heart and tore it out, before he squashed the still beating organ in a crimson fountain.

A few minutes passed before Naruto finally calmed down and his chakra cloak dissipated. He slowly stood up, before he puked, as realization hit him. He had killed, in an utterly gruesome way, three men.

He had killed before. Back when Sasuke was still a member of Team Seven, during their mission to protect the actress Fujikaze Yukie, who was in reality, the princess in exile Kazahana Koyuki, Naruto had defeated in battle the tyrannic ruler of the Land of Snow, Kazahana Dotō. His Rasengan had sent the rogue Daimyo into one of the generators of the chakra-powered mechanism that transformed the icy country into the beautiful Land of Spring.

It had been clean. Nobody had found Dotō's corpse after that. Here, he had the horrible proofs of what he had just done all around him. The blood, on the ground, on his hand, the stench of the vital fluid and of the Iwa-nin's clothes, soiled right ad they faced death, the destroyed wall of the inn. The adrenaline still overflowing his body.

He shakily walked away from the corpse of the rapist, feeling numb. He barely felt it when he tripped over a small stone, and he barely felt Jiraiya's arms when the Sannin caught him before he fell face first in the dirt.

The Toad Sage looked at his godson's face, a canvas of shock and horrification. He expected it. Nobody could brush witnessing such a cruel act as rape and brutally killing three men away like that. Apart from Orochimaru, but now was not the time to think about him.

Jiraiya led Naruto towards a worn out public bench, unaware of the discussion currently taking place inside the blond's mind.

_'I killed them...' _he thought, over and over again, but that was not what disgusted him the most, _'and I enjoyed it...'_.

He was a ninja, and as a ninja, he was expected to kill one day, either in order to defend himself, or to eliminate a target assigned by his Hokage. But, truth be told, Naruto always had a sort of chivalrous view of the ninja world: shinobi fighting in the open, face to face, to defend their home and protecting their precious people. Of course, it didn't help that he idolized the Yondaime Hokage, who was praised as a war hero, a most noble and generous soul and a model for every aspiring shinobi.

His perception had been disturbed for the first time during his mission in the Land of Waves. It was the first time that Naruto was confronted with the fact that shinobi were often perceived as tools, and that some of them accepted it without protesting. Of course, he had rejected this concept vehemently, but it still made him think.

But now... what he had seen in this inn had shook him to his core. Naruto may have grown up nicely as a shinobi, but he was still, deep down, an innocent boy. He had never been confronted to such a selfish and cruel act before. And his Negative Emotion Sensing only made it worse. The unbrideled lust of the Iwa-nin had horrified him.

_**'This is one of the many reasons why I hate humanity.' **_suddenly said Kurama. **_'Your kind has many quirks, but one of the worst is your lust. Whether it is for flesh, money, or power, lust will always lead to hurt others in the way of what you crave. You just saw it. This girl is broken. This man used her as a way to satiate himself, and then he just discarded her. This Gatō person that you met during the mission where you first used my power, he brought a country to his knees just to make himself wealthier. Madara killed your parents, and many more, to capture me.'_**

Kurama's voice was filled with disgust, and it was the first time that he ever explained were the roots of his hatred came from to Naruto. And the blond, who originally had thought that it originated from the fact that he had been sealed away, felt like he started to understand the Fox, if only a bit_._

_**'Humans are selfish. Nothing counts but their goals. And they rarely for what they got. They often want more. And it begins anew. You did good by killing those three. At least, they won't hurt anybody anymore.'**_

_'But I shouldn't have! I shouldn't have enjoyed it! I am human too! I shouldn't have enjoyed killing!' _Naruto screamed internally.

_**'Why not? You said it yourself, didn't you? You killed monsters, not humans. And I agree with you. The first and only human being I ever met was the Rikudō Sennin. He dreamed of peace, and harmony. The rest of you are just warmongers, only after your own safety. After the Sage of the Six Paths died, wherever I went, I could feel hatred and anger. War was everywhere. You killed each other for petty quarrels. And even the peace brought by the Senju and Uchiha clans when they came with the Hidden Villages system was only based on the enslavement of me and my brethren!' **_Kurama retorted.

Naruto was trying to ignore what the Fox was saying, but he had a point. He couldn't deny was he had just said. And he was starting to doubt. Was humanity trully that far gone? Were they all just monsters?

_**'Your kind calls us demon, because we are gifted with incredible power, and because we destroy everything we come across, while we are only defending our freedom,' **_continued the bijū, **_'but after everything I witnessed in my long life... I'd rather be a demon than a human.'_**

The blond didn't have anything to respond, and even if he did, he wouldn't have been able to, as he was suddenly felt a light tap on his cheek. He looked up to meet the concerned eyes of his godfather.

"I don't know what the Fox is telling you, gaki, but you shouldn't listen to him." Jiraiya said.

"How did you know..."

"You always have that funny look when you are talking to the Kyūbi in your mind. And on top of that, you looked pretty distressed."

The Toad Sage sat down next to his apprentice, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You can talk to me, Naruto. Killing is never an easy thing to do."

A pained and fearful expression formed on the Uzumaki's face. "But it was! It was easy... I think... I think I liked it!"

The Sannin shook his head. "You weren't really yourself. When you use the Kyūbi's chakra, you are always influenced by it, even if you keep control."

Moving his hand, Jiraiya started to ruffle Naruto's hand. He had noticed that doing this always seemed to lift the boy's spirit. "You did the right thing by defending these two women, Naruto. Sometimes, killing is all we have left when we need to defend someone. Besides, if it was one of your friends in there, would you regret what you did?"

Just thinking about it made the blond sick and furious. Imagining Sakura, Hinata, Ino or Tenten like that, looking so broken, was enough to make Kurama's chakra starting to ooze out from his body.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." said Jiraiya. "You know gaki, in the spur of the moment, killing might seem easy. Adrenaline can dull your feelings in the middle of a fight. But it's dealing with it after the act is done that can be hard. You are questioning yourself right now. It's normal. If you weren't... then, I'd be worried."

The young Uzumaki let his master's words sink in for a bit. It was comforting, but what Kurama said was still nagging at him.

"The Fox... he said that... that humans are monsters..." Naruto whispered, but Jiraiya still managed to hear it.

"He isn't entirely wrong. It is true that there are people who abuse their powers to hurt others... like you just saw." the Sannin started, "And its those abuse that stand out the most. And sometimes... even I, I doubt that true peace will ever exist one day whenever I come across people like those Iwa-nin."

This came as a shock to Naruto. Jiraiya of the Sannin, the Toad Sage Extraordinaire of Mount Myōboku, the Super Pervert and proud author of the Icha Icha series, could doubt?

The Sage noticed the surprise of his godson, and chuckled lightly. "Yeah, gaki, sometimes I don't know if my dream will ever come true. But then, I remember what my sensei once told me."

"Hokage-jiji? What did he told you?" Naruto eagerly asked. His respect for the Sandaime might have dropped, but he still saw him as a grandfather.

"He told me what his own sensei, Senju Hashirama in person, told him before: that the reason why the atrocities men are capable of marks us so much, is because we are used to the little goods of our everyday lives. The small gestures, even a simple 'Good day' when you meet someone, are much more numerous than the massacres or the violations. And you can't just judge a man when he fights, you also have to do it when he simply lives."

The Sage rubbed the back of his head sheepishly in a very Namikaze-like fashion. "Well, he didn't exactly said it like that. It was more in the line of: 'The great manifestations of evil are few and far between, and yet they often make us forget about the small sparks of good in every men and women's heart.' Sensei always liked to talk like this. He was a poet after all."

"Shinobi-san..."

Absorbed as they were in their conversation, neither Jiraiya nor Naruto sensed the innkeeper approach them. She was staring at the Uzumaki with a mixture of fright and awe.

"I... wanted to thank you, shinobi-san..." she said hesitantly. "Nobody stood up for us when the Iwa-nin started to... to..." she couldn't finish, the memory of what happened to her daughter, and what almost happened to her still fresh. "And yet, you, a complete stranger... I can't thank you enough, shinobi-san..."

"You shouldn't be thanking me."Naruto responded. "I wasn't able to stop that guy before he... and I destroyed the back wall of your inn! And Iwa will notice that one of their patrolling squad is missing!"

"Even so... those men would have continued if you didn't kill them..."

"But-"

"Stop that, gaki! You just saved this woman and prevented more harm to come to her daughter! And besides, accident often happens during patrols. It will be easy to mask this up and make it look like an encounter with shinobi from another neighboring country." Jiraiya admonished his apprentice.

He then turned towards the innkeeper, who looked apprehensive under the gaze of the imposing Sannin. "I understand that you might want to be left alone after what happened, but would it be too much to ask if there is one or two rooms available?"

"N-no of course not... it is the least I can do. I will even let you stay free of-"

"No, we will pay for our stay. I insist."

The innkeeper nodded gratefully, whispering several 'thank you', before leaving the two Konoha shinobi in order to prepare their rooms.

Jiraiya noticed that his student was still looking down. "You shouldn't feel too bad, Naruto. I won't tell you that what you did was the right thing. Killing should never be considered right. You had to choose between two evils. And you chose the lesser one. And..." the Sage's face turned grim for a second. "...if you hadn't been faster than me back there, I would have killed them myself."

Naruto nodded, thankful that his master shared a bit of his wisdom with him. Even if he was a pervert and goofed around quite often, Jiraiya wasn't a living legend for nothing.

In the end, the Uzumaki was more determined than ever to train and become strong enough to protect his precious people, but also those who couldn't do it themselves. If the cost for that was to take lives, then he would. He had been trained to do it.

He was a shinobi.

He would endure whatever was thrown at him, and his resolve would not falter.

* * *

As the sun rose over Yama no Kuni, so did the Toad Sage and the Kyūbi jinchūriki. They had decided during dinner to leave early. Thankfully, there were no other Iwa-nin in Yamatsuri, but they already had drawn too much attention to themselves. The small town was already miserable enough, and if they extended their stay, more Iwa-nin might come to investigate.

As they were about to leave the inn, Naruto noticed the girl – Kaede, he remembered her name was – looking at him. He could still sense disgust coming from her. She would need time to recover from her aggression, and even then, the Uzumaki knew that she would have to live with this memory for the rest of her life.

Neither Jiraiya nor Naruto had saw her during their stay. Her eyes seemed a bit brighter, but one could easily notice how they reflected the anguish their owner was feeling.

Kaede approached the two Konoha shinobi slowly, and bowed deeply in front of them. She stayed silent, but no words were needed.

Jiraiya only nodded, before he went out.

Naruto didn't move. He didn't speak, either. He really didn't know what to say. The blond wanted to say that it was nothing, but, given the circumstances, it didn't feel right. He wanted to say that he was sorry for not arriving earlier, but he knew that going over 'what if' scenarios was not going to do Kaede any good.

So he opted to simply bow his head back, all the while smiling softly.

She understood.

Following his godfather outside, the blond Uzumaki turned back one last time, as they were getting out of Yamatsuri, to wave in the direction of the small inn, before facing the road. He didn't saw it, but he knew that Kaede had waved back.

They had only spend twelve hours or so in the small town in the mountains, and yet, for Naruto, it felt like ten years.

He also understood why Jiraiya wanted to take him on a trip rather than simply train him in Konoha. Experience, as a shinobi, came not only from training and battling, but also from meeting people and seeing the world with your own eyes, both in tragic and happy contexts.

Unfortunately, their short stay in the Land of Mountains ended up as a shocking experience, and the image of Kaede's lifeless eyes would probably haunt him for quite some time.

"Gaki." Naruto shifted his gaze from the road to Jiraiya after hearing his call. "We only have one year left before we go back to Konoha. You know what this means, right?"

The blond chuckled. If the Toad Sage wanted to scare him, he would have to do better than that. "Yeah, I know. More training. And you want to know how I respond to that? Bring it on, Ero-Sennin!"

Smirking, Jiraiya smacked Naruto's back. "You better believe it I'll bring it, gaki."

And the two of them continued to walk towards the rising sun, happy to be with each other on the road, excited for the intense sparing sessions that were to come, and impatient to eventually go back home.

* * *

**And this marks the end of the Introduction arc. It wasn't really a happy chapter, and it wasn't easy to write. I wanted to make it a bit longer, but I also really wanted to start on the next arc.  
**

**Next time, Naruto and Jiraiya are finally back in Konoha. I might also add omakes at the end of some chapters from now on, to add a touch of humor. What do you think?  
**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review!**


	5. Homecoming

**Hey. I'm sorry about the delay, but it looks like one chapter per week will be hard. I have more work than I thought, and, sadly, it takes precedence over my writing. So this means that I'll have no fixed schedule. But, the next chapter should still come quicker, since I have a week off. **

**Oh, and since we are on this topic, if anyone is interested, I am looking for a beta-reader. As I said, I don't always have time to write, and it also means that I don't always have time to read myself. I also am pretty nervous about the future battle scenes, and an exterior opinion about them would be ost welcome.**

**Now, to answer the question of The Dark Dragon Emperor: Sorry, but Fū won't appear in this story. And it saddens me a bit, because after seeing her in the recent fillers, she seems really fun. Having a situation where she asks Naruto to take a bath with her could have led to some really funny situations, but sadly, like in canon, she is already dead by now. Thanks for taking another cool female character away from us, Obito. You truly are the coolest guy. Kushina and Mabui weren't enough.  
**

**Alright, now back to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I also do not own a PS4. Which means that I will not own Bloodborne. Being me is suffering.**

* * *

The sun was shining brightly over the Hidden Village of Konoha during this beautiful and peaceful summer day. A soft breeze was blowing, cooling the two shinobi on guard duty at the main gate of the village.

Even though they were used to watch over the flow of people leaving and entering Konoha, Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo were still bored out of their mind. Nothing really exciting had happened in Konoha in months, since the end of the first stage of the last Chūnin Exams.

And now the two ninja were just sitting there, struggling to keep themselves awake. Even Izumo, who usually was the most serious and the voice of reason of the duo, was considering a nap. It's not like anything was going to happen today, right?

As if to answer his silent question, Kotetsu nudged him, pointing towards the road. "Hey Izumo, is that who I think it is?"

Looking at the direction his partner was indicating, Izumo noticed the two shinobi who were about to enter Konoha. One was easily identified as Jiraiya, and he could only guess that the other one was Naruto.

Both guards were surprised at the blond's appearance. Gone was the orange-wearing midget. In his place was a tall young man, wearing a black long-sleeved jacket, a burnt orange shirt (he finally managed to squeeze some orange in his outfit, as long as it wasn't as flashy as his old clothes), grey pants and black shinobi boots. His outfit was completed by a red short-sleeved coat decorated with a black flame pattern.

Beside his new outfit, Izumo and Kotetsu were surprised by how mature he looked. A single glance in his direction would tell you that this wasn't the loudmouthed brat from two and a half years ago. It was obvious he grew both as a man and a ninja.

The two returning shinobi stepped through the gate, casually waving at the two chūnin, as if they only had been gone for a few days.

Impatient to see his home, Naruto ran off, leaving a chuckling Jiraiya behind, and jumped high enough to land on a nearby pole.

He was happy to be back. At first glance, nothing seemed to have really changed in Konoha. The damage inflicted during Oto and Suna conjoint invasion had been repaired, and the only other noticable change was the fifth face carved in the Hokage Monument.

"So they added Bā-chan's mug up there, huh?" said Naruto, smiling softly.

"Oi, Naruto! You know that we need to report to Tsunade-hime, right?" called Jiraiya from the street below.

The blond did not answered right away. Instead, he let his eyes linger for a moment on a particular place. The Sage, noticing that his student looked deep in thought, followed his gaze. Finally understanding where Naruto was looking at, he sighed, before waving at him.

"Fine gaki, I'll go on ahead. Don't take too long, but say hi for me, alright?"

"Thanks, Ero-Sennin! I will!" the Uzumaki said, nodding gratefully at his godfather, before swiftly leaping back on the ground and sprinting off towards his destination.

Looking at his retreating apprentice's back, Jiraiya couldn't help the feeling of pride bursting in his chest. Naruto was growing to be a splendid shinobi, just like his parents were. It was only a matter of time before the new generation surpassed the old one.

Not wanting to get beaten up by an angry Tsunade for being late, Jiraiya made his way towards the Hokage Tower. The Slug Sannin was probably eager to learn about Naruto's growth during their trip.

* * *

Senju Tsunade, Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, was unusually excited today. She wasn't grumbling as much while dealing with the paperwork that her assistant and apprentice Shizune was regularly bringing to her.

Her perverted teammate and her favorite knucklehead were due to arrive anytime soon now. She would never admit it, particularly to the two above-mentioned men, but she had really missed them. Both had a certain talent to get on her nerves, but things were a little too quiet for her taste when they weren't around. She knew that she would most likely give anything in a few weeks for a break after dealing with their antics, but right now she was impatient to see her old friend and his blond apprentice.

"My, Tsunade-hime, even after two years, you are still as beautiful as ever!" said a familiar voice, coming from behind her.

Turning her seat to face the intruder, Tsunade couldn't help but smile at seeing Jiraiya perched on the windowsill as usual when he came in her office. However, she started frowning at the glaring absence of a certain someone.

"Well, I'm happy to see you too Jiraiya, but where is Naruto?" she asked.

"He had something important to do before our meeting."

She raised a brow at the Sage's statement. "More important than to report to his Hokage and say hello after two and a half years on the road?"

A soft, nostalgic smile formed on Jiraiya's face. "Yes, something very important to him." he said, looking down at the village.

"Something long overdue."

* * *

Even though he knew most of the village quite well, it was the first time Naruto ever came here. It was not surprising, as the blond never knew if he had any family before he left with his godfather. But ever since the night Kurama almost broke out of his seal, he had wanted to come here. And now that he was there, he felt a bit lost. He never had done that before, but he knew he had to. He wanted to.

Slowly making his way between the tombstones, the blond Uzumaki was looking for the grave of his mother. His father had been buried alongside the other Hokages, as per the tradition, and Jiraiya had asked him to keep his affiliation with Minato a secret for now.

But he hadn't said anything about his mother. And, now that he knew who his parents were, Naruto wanted to give them his respects. His coat, a gift for his fifteenth birthday, was something the blond considered as a tribute to the both of them. It was a way to still display his connection with his father, as Minato was known for wearing a white haori decorated with red flames during his reign as the Yondaime Hokage. Its red color was of a similar shade as Kushina's fiery hair, which Naruto had found really beautiful.

Eventually, he found his mother's gravestone. He felt weird. He had met her, in his mindscape, and even though she had only been a chakra imprint, she seemed so... alive. He still remembered how it felt to be hugged. He had never felt so safe before, or so loved.

And now, seeing her cold and silent grave, he couldn't help but feeling a dull ache in his chest. And yet, it was a proof that it was real, it wasn't a dream. He did have parents who loved him very much. Who sacrificed themselves so he could live.

Kneeling, Naruto caressed the name engraved in the stone, fully reassuring himself that Uzumaki Kushina had indeed existed.

"Hello, Mom. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" he said softly. "I became pretty strong training with Ero-Sennin, ya know? And it's thanks to you and Dad. The old fart put me through hell, but I wasn't about to give up! I have to make you proud! Believe it! Oh, before I forget, the pervert says hi, too."

And with that, Naruto continued to talk about everything and nothing: how he was doing, a dream he had, the things he saw during the trip. Even though he was aware that his parents knew about his life, as they had read through his memories, he still talked about his childhood, how he skipped class, his pranks, his missions with Team Seven. It just felt right to him. Other teenagers would have been ashamed to open themselves like that to their mother, but Naruto wasn't aware of that. And even if he was, he wouldn't care.

Unbeknownst to him, the blond had an eavesdropper.

* * *

It just so happens that this beautiful summer day was a Thursday. And every Thursday, Hyūga Hinata visited the grave of her late mother, Hitomi, who died in childbirth. She remembered it all too well. It was a Thursday, the day she lost her beloved Mother, but gained her precious little sister Hanabi.

And as such, every Thursday, Hinata deposed flowers on her mother's grave. Ever since she became a genin, she would do just that after her training session with her team, in the afternoon. At this time, the Konoha Cemetery was usually quiet, and very often she would be the only living soul present between the tombstones.

As she was on her way to visit her mother's grave, the bluenette noticed that today, she would not be alone in the cemetery. There was a kneeled man, who was talking out loud to whoever he was paying his respects too.

Hinata wasn't a nosy person, but seeing someone else here was kind of unusual. A closer look at this man informed her that he was infact a teenager, probably no older than her. From her perspective, she couldn't see his face, but she could very well see his golden hair and his red coat. His voice was soft, and she could start making out some of the words. It was very rude of her to eavesdrop like that, but, as the distance between them grew smaller, his voice was becoming more and more familiar.

"...really glad that I was able to meet you both. Sometimes, even though it's been more than two years now, I still ask myself if it was not a dream."

Yes, Hinata definitely knew that voice. She was starting to blush furiously, like she hadn't since _he_ left on his training trip. Could it be _him_? Was _he_ really back?

Any doubt she might have left were dissipated when the boy raised his head to look at the statue representing a flame, at the far end of the cemetery.

Whiskers marks? Check. Sun-kissed skin? Check. Cerulean eyes in which the bluenette wished she could lose herself for hours on end? Check.

Uzumaki Naruto was back in Konoha.

It took everything Hinata had to keep herself from fainting. However, she wasn't able to keep a squeak out of her mouth.

* * *

"You know, Kā-chan, I'm really glad that I was able to meet you both. Sometimes, even though it's been more than two years now, I still ask myself if it was not a dream."

Raising his head to look at the sculpture of a crimson flame on the other side of the cemetery, Naruto closed his hand and put it over his heart.

"I promise you both, that I will protect the village with everything I have. I will use Kurama's power to bring peace, and I will stop Madara. Believe it!"

It was at this moment that the blond Uzumaki heard a squeaking sound coming from somewhere behind him. Turning, he noticed that he was no longer the only visitor inside the cemetery.

It took him only a few seconds to recognize the girl. Her pearly eyes, her pale skin, her flushed cheeks, her midnight blue hair...

"Oh, Hinata! I didn't see you there! I was a bit caught in my thoughts." Naruto greeted the Hyūga girl sheepishly.

"H-hello Naruto-kun." she stuttered softly, silently cursing herself. She had worked so hard on her shyness, and yet here she was, a flushing mess again. But she could not help it.

Hinata was not someone to judge or appreciate a person by his looks alone. The fact that she was the only girl who didn't have a crush on Sasuke back at the Academy was proof of that. But even so, she couldn't help but find Naruto's whiskers and blond locks attractive. If somebody had asked her to describe him physically with one word, she would have answered 'cute' (if she hadn't fainted out of embarassment).

But right now, Hinata couldn't help but find the Uzumaki handsome. He had grown up a lot, way more than she did. His face was more mature, his hair longer, and, even though she did not dislike orange that much, she was glad that he was also wearing much more fashionable clothes. It might have been the blond's unwavering spirit that drew her to him, but she was still very pleased by the Naruto's new appearance. He looked good.

To put it simply, if Hinata was more outspoken, or had been born as a Yamanaka, she would have called her crush 'sexy'. But she had been raised as a proper lady, so she settled on 'handsome'.

Naruto too was taking in the bluenette's new looks. Even though he was still relatively innocent, you did not spent two and a half years with the Super Pervert without getting aquainted with a lot of scantily clad representative of the fairer sex. He also still had nightmares, often replayed by Kurama when the Fox was frustrated after a training session that did not meet his expectations, of the time Jiraiya had given him the Talk, a few months ago.

The Uzumaki would deny it fervently, but he too was a pervert. Not as much as his master, but still, he was the creator of the Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Technique), and Jiraiya might have bribed him for training if he sneaked in the woman section of the numerous bath houses they stopped at and memorized the mensurations of the ladies there.

All in all, the blond was now way more appreciative of the feminine charms - even though not as much as his godfather - instead of being fixated only on the actress Fujikaze Yukie, aka the princess of the Land of Spring, Kazahana Koyuki.

However, Naruto was not one to oggle his friend shamelessly like that. But he couldn't help but find Hinata pretty. Long hair definitely suited her, he decided. Her choice of clothes did not changed much: they were still quite baggy, but of a more vivid colour, now white and lavender instead of beige.

He used to think of her as a dark and gloomy weirdo, before actually getting to know the Hyūga a little. She might be shy and have her share of insecurities, but she was a hard-working kunoichi, and a selfless and gentle soul. And, in retrospect, Naruto liked weird people. He was a little weird himself, after all. Overall, she was someone he really appreciated.

"It's been a while! I'm happy to see you, Hinata." the blond said, a toothy grin on his face. The bluenette's blush intensified. She had really missed his smile.

"I-Its' good to see you too, N-Naruto-kun." she responded softly.

As the surprise of the blond's return started to fade a bit, Hinata was starting to grow curious. She had often stalked... hum... coincidentally-walked-out-of-view-or-hidden-behind-trees-twenty-feet-or-so behind Naruto for a long time, and never once he had visited the cemetery. She knew he was an orphan, so the only deceased person he would ever visit here that she could think of would be the Sandaime, but usually, when people were mourning a Hokage, they were doing so in front of the flame sculpture, near the end of the graveyard.

Her musing were cut short when Naruto spoke up. "Oh! Since you're here, I should probably present you to each other!" He then turned his gaze back to the grave he was standing next to. "Mom, that's Hinata, one of my friends! And Hinata, this is my super-awesome mom!"

The bluenette was surprised to hear that Naruto was actually visiting his mother's grave. On the other hand, she was also happy that he discovered the identity of his parents.

"You d-discovered the identity of your parents, N-Naruto-kun?" she asked, astonished. He only answered with a happy and energetic nod.

The bluenette was honored that he would present her directly like that. Being an orphan, knowing his parents was obviously very important to him. Hinata took a look at the plaque, reading the name engraved on the stone, before bowing in front of the grave.

"H-Hello, Kushina-san. It is a pleasure to meet you."

It might seem a bit silly to talk to a tomb like they were doing, but for the two teens, it was perfectly normal. Even though they were not amongst the living anymore, they knew that their mothers were looking over them from the Pure World.

"Hum..." she hesitated a bit, thinking that it was rude to ask, but she was curious. "A-And... is your father here, too? I-I mean, you're not forced to respond, maybe it's something that you do not want to talk about..."

Naruto tensed ever so slightly. He didn't like to lie to his friend, but Jiraiya had been clear. "Oh... I don't know his name. I only learned who my mom was."

Luckily, Hinata did not caught his lie, but she looked dejected nonetheless. "Oh... I'm s-sorry..."

"Heh, don't be. Who knows, maybe he was someone famous!" he retorted, trying to cheer up the girl next to him. That was not a lie, at least, and he managed to bring a small smile back on Hinata's face.

They stayed silent in front of the grave for several minutes. Hinata couldn't help but take a quick look at Naruto's face every few seconds. His eyes fascinated her. Instead of the usual sparkle of mischief and resolve, they were filled with longing and warmth.

Her blush intensified when the blond caught her staring. He was intrigued as to why she was looking at him so intently, but kept his curiosity to himself, and rather decided to catch up with the bluenette.

"So, how have you been, Hinata?" he inquired, with his trademark grin.

"I-I have been good, thank you for asking. I trained a lot with Neji-nii-san, and I recently became chūnin." the blunette answered, still too shy to look more than a few seconds at the blond's smiling face. "And you, how did your trip with Jiraiya-sama went? W-When did you come back?"

"Oh, we arrived, like maybe an hour ago. You're actually the first person besides those two guys at the gate that I've met. As for the trip, it was pretty cool... for the most part..." he said, his smile and eyes dimming a bit. He shook it off quickly, before worrying Hinata. "I learned a lot with Ero-Sennin, not just shinobi stuff."

"I'm sure you are really strong now." the Hyūga girl murmured. Taking another glance at her love interest's face, she noticed that his smile was not as wide as it used to be, and yet it felt more genuine. Now that she had noticed that, everything about him felt like this.

She knew, of course, of the mask that he put to hide his pain from the world. And now that it was gone, even if only partially, Hinata could see that Naruto looked older than he really was.

Her analysis came to a stop when she heard the blond's voice. He had noticed the flowers that the blunette had with her.

"Are you visiting someone too? Oh, sorry, maybe I shouldn't ask..."

"Don't worry, N-Naruto-kun. I'm coming for my mother too, actually." She looked up hesitantly at the blond's face, her stutter getting stronger. "M-Maybe, if y-you don't m-mind, I c-could introduce y-you, t-too?"

Naruto had presented her, it was only natural that she did the same.

"You sure? I don't want to bother you or anything." the blond said hesitantly.

"N-No, you would never be a bother t-to me, Naruto-kun." Hinata assured him. "I usually come here alone, or with my sister. B-But, it would be nice if you were here t-too, I never introduced a f-friend to my mother before."

"Oh, I would be honored, then!" the Uzumaki said happily.

Smiling softly at his response, Hinata went on her way towards her mother's grave, Naruto following close behind her.

After a short walk, the two teens stopped in front of another grave, obviously more visited than Kushina's, as the flowers that framed it indicated. Naruto suddenly felt really dumb: he had completely forgot to buy something to bring to his mother.

Deposing half of the bouquet on the grave, Hinata then knelt in front of it and joined her hand in a sort of prayer, before speaking. "Hello, Mother. I did not come alone today. This is one of my closest friends, Uzumaki Naruto-kun. He just came back from a long journey."

The blond was a bit surprised, but flattered to be qualified as a close friend by Hinata. He had to admit that she was one the sweetest person he knew.

He bowed politely in front of the stone, like Hinata did before. "Hello, Hitomi-sama. It is a pleasure to know you."

It was something else that Jiraiya had taught him: manners. It still did not come naturally, but Naruto knew when he had to show them, at least. Hinata was from a noble clan, so it was normal to be as civil as he could.

He stood by while Hinata talked about her day, like he did before with his mother, not making a sound. As the bluenette finished and said goodbye to the tombstone, they started walking again, this time to leave the cemetery.

As they passed in front of Kushina's grave on their way out, Naruto took one last glance, cursing himself again for forgetting to bring a little something, at least.

Noticing her crush looking away and following his gaze, Hinata guessed what he was thinking. Shyly tucking at his sleeve to catch his attention, she offered him the flowers she had left.

"Y-You can offer your mother these, if you want to, Naruto-kun. I bought them so I could press them later... but this is m-more important."

"Really?" she nodded, not trusting her ability to talk after seeing his blinding smile. "Thanks Hinata! You're really awesome!"

Graciously accepting the flowers, the blond went back to kneel in front of the plaque bearing his mother's name, and deposed the bouquet, before doing a prayer like he saw Hinata do earlier.

"I'll come back some other time, Mom! Maybe with Ero-Sennin!" he said, before standing up and falling back into steps with the Hyūga girl.

The bluenette was very happy right now. Naruto was back, and she was the first of their former classmates to meet with him since he returned, and she had managed to hold a discussion with him without embarassing herself.

As they climbed down the stairs leading to the cemetery, iddly chatting, Naruto suddenly remembered that he was supposed to meet with Tsunade, and that his visit had taken longer than what he had originally planned.

"Oh shit! I should go and see Bā-chan before she comes after me! I'll see you around, Hinata! It was cool to see you!" he said loudly.

"S-Same here Naruto-kun. S-See you soon." the blunette answered in a gentle voice.

After she and her favourite blond parted ways, Hinata finally allowed an excited squeel to escape her mouth, before fainting in the middle of the street.

* * *

Naruto, though he originally planned to hurry towards the Hokage Tower after leaving Hinata, decided to, instead, take a tranquil stroll in the streets of Konoha. Tsunade could wait a bit more, right? Besides, it's been years since he could just walk around the village like that.

His first thought was to go to Ichiraku, but he quickly dismissed it. He didn't want to be THAT late, after all. It was definitely his first stop after his meeting with the Hokage, though.

The blond was broken out of his thoughts when he noticed a flash of pink in the crowd of villagers. Making his way through the people in the street, he finally manage to find his teammate.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!"

Said girl turned around, hearing her name being called.

"Naruto? Is that really you?"

Though she was not as appreciative towards the blond new appearance as Hinata had been, the pinkette still had to admit that he definitely looked more mature and serious. His posture denoted the same thing.

Sakura's outfit, too, showed that she had taken her training seriously. While similar to her genin's attire in colour, it was much more fitted for shinobi duty. Her sleeveless red shirt showed her well-toned arms, and Naruto could guess that his teammate had inherited Tsunade's legendary strength. Overall, she looked like a true kunoichi, while still being her old dashing self, in the blond's eyes.

"Yep! That's me! Do I get a hug or something?" he asked jockingly, opening his arms like he wanted to embrace his teammate.

"You wish!" Sakura answered playfully. "So, when did you arrive, Naruto? I think I saw Jiraiya-sama earlier, but you were not with him."

"Yeah, I had something to do before meeting with Bā-chan." he said, his voice becoming a bit softer.

"Really? Something more important than a briefing with the Hokage? Don't tell me you stuffed yourself silly with ramen or -"

"I was visiting my mom's grave."

Whatever Sakura was about to say died in her throat upon hearing that.

"Y-Your mom's grave? But I thought you were an orphan!" she said loudly.

"Well, I still have to come from somewhere, ya know?" Naruto retorted, slightly annoyed.

She flinched a bit at his response. She hadn't mean to sound so harsh. "I'm sorry, Naruto. It's just... I didn't expect you to say something like that. I'm really happy that you discovered your mother's identity, though. I'm so sorry since she's..."

Waving dismissively to indicate that it was no big deal, Naruto quickly reassured her. "Hey, don't worry, Sakura-chan. Even Hinata sounded surprised."

"You've met Hinata already?"

The blond nodded. "Yep, she was visiting her mother too. I was a bit surprised when I saw her. She has changed quite a bit!"

Sakura quirked an eyebrow, surprised that Naruto had actually noticed the Hyūga's growth. It was not a secret that she had trained a lot during the past two years, in order to impress the Uzumaki. Sakura herself had helped her, along with Ino, to improve her self-confidence. They even tried to get her to wear more revealing clothes, but the bluenette had refused, still too shy to show as much skin as the Yamanaka did.

"You're right," Sakura agreed, "but she is not the only one, you know. Don't you think I look more professional, or perhaps... womanly too you?"

Taking another glance at his teammate, Naruto thought carefully of his answer. Jiraiya had told him something about women and compliment, but it was kind of hazy. He had been more focused on training with Kurama's chakra at the time.

"You look... great, Sakura-chan!" he said, a bit hesitant. Hopefully, his answer would please the pinkette.

He was relieved when he noticed the small blush on the pinkette's cheeks. "Thank you, Naruto. You look pretty good yourself. Finally dumped the jumpsuit, huh?"

"Man, what was wrong with my jumpsuit? It was so awesome, so orange... so awesomely orange!" he exclaimed dramatically. Truly his fashion sense wasn't that bad, was it?

Before Sakura could say something, a high-pitched shout, coming from a spiky brown-haired boy wearing a long blue scarf rang in the crowded street, startling the villagers around.

"NARUTO-NIICHAN!"

Recognizing the boy immediately, a huge grin formed on the jinchūriki's face. "Konohamaru! How' ya been?"

"Boss!"

This time, it was a girl with orange hair tied up into two pig-tails and a brown-haired boy wearing glasses and with a permanent drip of snot coming out of his nose that spoke up, as they appeared behind the young Sarutobi.

"Oh! Moegi and Udon!" It was then that Naruto noticed the shiny hitai-ate on their forehead. "And you three are genin now! Are you on the same team?"

"You bet, nii-chan! And our team leader is Ebisu-sensei!" Konohamaru claimed proudly.

The self-appointed apprentice of the blond Uzumaki abruptly took on a determined expression, pointing towards his rival for the title of Hokage. "I'm way stronger than I was two years ago, Boss! The jutsu you taught me, I have fully mastered it! And I'll show you right now!"

Without wasting time, the Sarutobi made the ram sign, before shouting, "Sexy Technique!"

The young and noisy boy vanished, instantly replaced by a beautiful woman, completely naked, with only a few clouds of mist covering her most private areas, and showing off her curve in a coy pose while flashing Naruto a sultry smile.

The jutsu did not leave the rest of the group unaffected. Udon's face turned beat red while Moegi and Sakura both looked to be profoundly indignant at the shameless display of flesh.

The only reaction that seemed out was that of Naruto. He did not look flustered, angry or proud. He was only smiling softly, like a teacher would do after witnessing a student trying to resolve a difficult exercice he had been working on for a long time. This did not come unnoticed by Sakura, who was staring in awe at her teammate.

_'Wow, no perverted remarks, no blush... He really has a countenance now! He really did mature, it's not just an act!' _she thought, happy and somewhat relieved to witness Naruto's growth for herself.

Konohamaru dispelled his jutsu, looking to be disappointed. He had hoped to impress his rival and model, but it looked like it didn't affect him at all.

"You know, Konohamaru..." Naruto started, "you shouldn't use such a childish jutsu anymore."

The Uzumaki put his hands on his unofficial pupil's, prompting the boy to raise his head to meet the eyes of his idol.

"Showing off everything like that is pointless! The true way to hypnotize your target with your sex-appeal is, instead, to tease! Showing off just a bit, while concealing the rest! Make him want to see more! Make him squirm! Make him wonder! His mind will be in turmoil, he'll be too focused on trying to devine..."

A vein was pulsating dangerously on Sakura's forehead, her fists were clenched, and a dark aura was starting to form around her. Had Naruto not been so caught up in his lesson on how to use the feminine charms to one's advantage, he would have noticed it.

_'Mature my ass! He is still the same perverted idiot! Cha!'_

Years of training under Tsunade made Sakura an expert in medical ninjutsu. Her excellent chakra control had allowed her to pick it up very quickly, and she rapidly became an expert in the art of healing. However, the Slug Princess was also known for her monstruous strength, and the pinkette had learned to use quite well.

And she was just about to show her teammate how well.

Cocking her fist back, she swiftly launched it right at his face. Sakura not only trained her strength, but her speed as well. It was no use to be able to destroy walls in one punch, if you couldn't even brush your enemy. Fully expecting to feel the satisfying sensation of her fist hitting flesh and skull, the Haruno had already set her eyes on the spot she guessed Naruto would land after her punch would introduce him to the clouds.

She was surprised to hit nothing but air.

Turning her gaze to the spot where Naruto had been, she constated that indeed, he wasn't there anymore. He was standing behind her, his features showing that he was surprised, yet impressed by the fact that his friend had almost pounded him into oblivion.

"Wow, Sakura-chan, that was close! I could feel the chakra concentrated in your fist, and let me tell you, I wouldn't have liked getting hit by that!" the blond said, chuckling nervously.

The medic was amazed. She had spared quite a few times against Lee, in order to improve her taijutsu. She was proud of how much she had progressed in this area, as it made her incredible strength all the more effective. In their most recent bout, she had been pleased to note that, while the spandex-wearing shinobi was still too fast for her to hit, it took him way more effort to dodge her punches.

And just now, Naruto had not only easily dodged her attack, but he had also managed to get behind her, in an ideal position to swiftly finish her if he so wished. And all of that without her even sensing the blond's mouvement.

Naruto was _really _fast.

And, if the awestruck faces that the Konohamaru Corps were making was any indication, they had witnessed it too, and were as much, if not more impressed than Sakura at their model's speed.

"Boss! That was so cool! Teach that to us!" demanded the Sandaime's grandson.

"Sorry, Konohamaru, but I gotta go. Tsunade-bā-chan is waiting for me." said Naruto while playfully rufling the Sarutobi's hair, making the boy pout childishly.

"Alright, but you'll definitely train us some other time!"

The Uzumaki nodded. "It's a deal, squirt."

The Konohamaru Corps then took off, as they apparently were in the middle of a D-Rank mission, after bidding goodbye to the two older ninja. Naruto and Sakura then resumed their walk towards the Hokage Tower, exchanging stories and anecdotes on their training under the two loyal Sannin.

* * *

"Finally! You really took your sweet time, gaki!"

Tsunade may have been annoyed by Naruto's lateness, but it was easy to see that she was happy to see him nonetheless. The blond in question had her arms crossed over her impressive chest, in what was supposed to appear as a stern position, but the effect was ruined by the soft smile on her face.

The Uzumaki looked a bit sheepish, and immediately bowed in front of his Hokage.

"I am deeply sorry, Tsunade-sama. I will abide by whatever punishment you see fit for my lateness."

The Godaime's eyes nearly popped out of their orbits and her jaw almost his the floor. She took a side glance at Jiraiya, who had an emotionless expression on, before looking back at Naruto, who was standing up in front of her with the same face as his master.

_'Jiraiya told me that the gaki had matured, but this... this is too much!'_

Tsunade then noticed that the corners of the two spiky-haired shinobi were twitching ever so slightly. They exchanged a brief look, before looking at the Slug Sannin gobsmacked expression. The twitching intensified. Jiraiya couldn't keep a snort from escaping his throat, and that broked the dam.

The Toad Sage and his apprentice exploded in laughter.

"Tsunade-bā-chan... your face! It was priceless!" Naruto managed to say, still laughing.

It was Tsunade's turn to explode.

"You... you little shit! I haven't see you in two years, and not only are you fucking late, but you also made me believe for a second that this pervert taught you some manners! And stop calling me that!"

"Sorry, Bā-chan, but it was too tempting... It's been a long time since I've done a prank!" the Uzumaki apologised, his laughter having died down.

Tsunade glanced accusingly at her teammate, who was still smiling like an idiot. "Mature, my ass. Atleast I hope he is as strong as you said he was, Jiraiya."

"Do not worry about that, hime. Naruto is fully capable of defending himself." retorted the Toad Sage.

"We'll see about that..." she said, still suspiscious. Turning back to face the young jinchūriki, Tsunade couldn't prevent a smile from coming back on her lips. "Pranks aside, it's good to have you back, Naruto."

This simple sentence made the blond Uzumaki's smile larger. His old fear of being alone, never being needed or acknowledge, wasn't as strong as before, but it was still there. Hearing one of the people he considered family say that having him back made them happy truly touched him.

"Yeah, it's good to be home."

Tsunade's eyes, still on Naruto, briefly shined with warm affection, an emotion that she felt for all her shinobi, even more so towards the young blond, but that she couldn't always afford to show as Hokage. As the leader of one of the most powerful military organization in the world, she couldn't let her enemies, both outside and inside the walls of Konoha, think of her as too soft to rule the village.

But right there, she allowed it to surface, if only for a second, to show her self-appointed grandson that she was glad to see him again.

However, they still had much to discuss. She clapped her hand to get back into her Hokage persona, and her business facade was up once again.

"Alright. Jiraiya already gave me a somewhat detailed report, since you took your time to come here. I am aware of the... accident..." she said carefully, eyeing her second apprentice. Sakura hadn't said anything since she had entered Tsunade's office with Naruto, as the pinkette knew that the two had a close relationship, and didn't want to interrupt them. "… and of everything we learned from it, as well as your special condition with our newest... friend." She intently gazed at Naruto's stomach after this statement.

"Well, if Ero-Sennin already debriefed you, I don't have much to add. I am not very good with reports, ya know." said the Uzumaki.

"We still have some things to discuss. First off, I want to see your progress for myself. And I also would like to see how far Sakura's training has taken her." retorted the Godaime. "And there is no better way to do that than a fight."

"Wait, so you will make me fight Sakura-chan?!" hollered Naruto. Sakura stayed silent, but it was clear that she did not liked the idea.

Tsunade grinned. "Nope. You will fight together against one of our strongest shinobi. He should have been here already, but it seems that he is even more late than you."

"Even more late? You mean..."

The Slug Sannin nodded, but before she could confirm Naruto's suspiscions, a new voice came from the opened window behind Jiraiya.

"Ma, it seems that you took after me more than I thought, Naruto..."

Grinning, the blond flickered outside, surprising the two medics, before reappearing in front of a familiar silver-haired shinobi, casually reading an erotic book right next to the Hokage's office window.

"Yo." he greeted nonchalantly, his one visible eye lazily shifting from his precious novel to his student.

"Kakashi-sensei, it's been a while!" said Naruto excitedly.

The jōnin nodded, before he noticed the blond's new outfit. "Well, your certainly look like _him_ now."

"My rugged good looks have to come from somewhere, ya know." the blond retorted.

Kakashi's eye widened, before it turned into the infamous upturned U, indicating that the Copy Ninja was smiling under his mask. "So, you know?"

Naruto nodded. The jonin sighed, his lazy expression slipping, revealing a bit of the regrets Kakashi was burdening himself with. "I should probably apologize, then. I was his student, and I knew about-"

"Don't, sensei." interrupted Naruto. "I know I was kept in the dark for my safety. And the past is the past. I won't forget, but I can forgive. We both know what happens if somebody isn't able to move on..."

Even though the jōnin knew his pupil was talking about Sasuke, he couldn't help but feel concerned too. His grief after his own teammates death had led him to the harsh life of an ANBU operator. More than his life, it was his humanity that he almost lost, and it was only when the Sandaime forcefully removed him and assigned him the role of jōnin sensei that Kakashi had regained some light in his life.

"You have grown, Naruto." the silver-haired shinobi said. "I'm proud. And I also know that he is proud. And I'm grateful, too, that you don't hold anything against me."

The blond jinchūriki looked a bit embarassed, as he rubbed the back of his head, before he retorted "Well, I'm still going to kick your ass, Kakashi-sensei. Believe it!"

The Copy Ninja eye-smiled back. "We'll see about that."

They made their way back into the Hokage's office, where Kakashi was greeted enthusiastically by Sakura, before Tsunade resumed where she had left off before the jōnin's arrival.

"As I was saying, Sakura and you, Naruto, will fight against Kakashi, so I can assess your skill. After that, you three will be back together as a team."

Naruto cheered, and Sakura was beaming. Even though their Uchiha comrade was still missing, the fact that Team Seven would be back on track soon was the first step to going back to the good old days.

"Your test will take place tomorrow morning, at training ground 7." Tsunade continued. "Me, Jiraiya, and Shizune will observe you both."

"Hold on, Bā-chan. Could it be possible that the rest of our classmates and Team Gai assist the fight too?" Naruto asked.

The Hokage frowned. "Why? You wanna show off to your friends? This is about evaluating you, gaki. Not for you to brag in front of everyone."

"I know. But it's very important."

"Naruto... so soon? I thought you wanted to wait for a bit before..."

"Yes, Ero-Sennin" said the blond, looking at his godfather with a determined expression. Turning back to Tsunade, his determination not faltering, he placed a hand on his stomach. "I want to tell them."

Tsunade's eyes almost popped out again. "Are you sure? I know it is a sensitive subject to you, but..."

"Yes, I'm sure. Soon enough, I'll have to fight the Akatsuki. I know that I can't do it alone. I will need my friends by my side. And I won't let them fight without knowing why they are truly risking their lives... So that's why I'd like them to be here tomorrow. I want to show them that I am in control. And having you, Ero-Sennin and Kakashi-sensei around would make it easier."

The Godaime knew that he wouldn't budge. He was an Uzumaki, and the Uzumaki were the most stubborn, hot-headed people you would ever meet. His reasons were noble, too. Naruto did not want his friends to fight for him without knowing about his tenant. And sooner or later, his jinchūriki status would be known, now that he had a certain amount of control over the Kyūbi's power, he was bound to use it. It was better that Naruto informed his comrades himself.

"Fine... I'll send a word to Kurenai, Asuma and Gai."

Naruto's smile returned. "Thanks, Bā-chan." He sensed his teammate confusion, and sure enough, Sakura looked perplexed. "I'll explain everything tomorrow, Sakura-chan. I'd rather do it only once."

The door of the office suddenly opened, revealing a dark-haired kunoichi, wearing a simple black and white kimono, who was carrying a stack of paper. Following behind her was a pig, wearing a pearl collar and a dark red jacket. "Tsunade-sama, I've found what you wanted." She then noticed the other person present in the room, particularly the whiskered blond. "Naruto-kun! You've finally arrived!"

"Shizune-nee-chan!" the Uzumaki greeted happily.

"Great. That was the second thing I wanted to talk about with you, Naruto." Tsunade sat on her chair, taking a document out of the stack brought in by Shizune, and placed it on her desk, so the Uzumaki could read it.

"What you are reading now, is an account of the possession of one Uzumaki Kushina. Besides the more mundane items, it includes several sealing scrolls, a sword, and a good amount of money, worth several years of a jōnin salary. And now, it's yours."

Awestruck, Naruto was looking at the paper like it was some sort of relic. "It's... it's my..."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, this is your inheritance."

A lone tear made its way down the blond's cheek. It was one thing to know that you had parents when you were an orphan, it was another to actually have something that linked you to them physically beside your blood.

"Thank you... Tsunade-bā-chan, Shizune-nee-chan... thank you so much..."

To see Naruto in such an emotional state was a rare sight. Tsunade had to refrain from standing up and hug the blond. Shizune had no such qualms. Even Tonton nudged the Uzumaki's feet affectionaly. Sakura, Kakashi and Jiraiya settled for a comforting hand on his shoulder or his back.

"Oh, and I have something for you too..." the Toad Sage spoke up, earning a curious and eager look from his apprentice. "Well, it's more like a proposition. I know that you have your own apartment, but... I have my own, too, and it's pretty big. Way too big for me, actually. You already had to put up with me for the last two years and a half, but, if you want, you could move in with me."

Naruto was really starting to think that he was dreaming. First, he was offered his late mother's belongings, and now, somebody wanted him to live with them?

"I... I would love to, Ero-Sennin!"

Jiraiya grinned, and rufled his godson's hair. Finally, he could make things right with Naruto, like it should have been since the beginning. He hoped that Minato would forgive him in the after-life, and that Kushina would give him a head-start before trying to neuter him.

Tsunade couldn't help the smile that formed on her face. If somebody truly deserved to be happy, and to have a family, it was Naruto. And she was glad to be part of this family. Even if it meant being a grandmother. But there was no way in hell that she would ever admit it.

"Alright." she said, clapping her hand again to catch the attention of the people present in her office. "You're free to go, Naruto. You have the rest of the day to do whatever you want. But I want you at 8 sharp at the training ground. Got it?" The blond nodded and gave her a thumbs up. The Hokage then turned her eyes on the Copy Ninja. "And you as well, Kakashi. 8 am. Sharp. Or I swear I'll make you eat your mask. Is that clear?" The silver-haired ninja gulped, before nodding as well. "Good, then you are all dismissed. And Naruto, do not worry about Kushina's stuff. I'll have it delivered at Jiraiya's later today."

"Awesome! Thanks, Bā-chan!" he shouted, before he jumped on the windowsill, and then on the nearest roof. "And now, to Ichiraku!"

Both Sannin sweatdropped. "You didn't even told him where your apartment was."

Jiraiya sighed, before chuckling. "Oh, don't worry about that. It's comforting to see that, despite his growth, Naruto can still be a child sometimes. He knows that he won't have much time for that in the future. He just wan't to make the most of the little of his childhood he has left, before becoming an adult."

Tsunade silently agreed, but her concern was still obvious. "Will he be alright?"

"Oh, I think he will. He has his friends. And he has the Kyūbi. If I learned one thing about the Fox during this trip, it's that he hates Madara more than he hates Naruto. As long as it stays like that, I'm not worried about our gaki. He learned just as much from the bijū as he did from me."

"That's good to know," she murmured "because I have a nagging feeling that things are about to go South pretty soon."

* * *

**Omake: Grandma showdown**

Unbeknowst to both Naruto and Hinata, there were two other people with them in the cemetery. Well, they used to be people. Now they were spirits.

The spirits of Uzumaki Kushina and Hyūga Hitomi, to be precise.

And they were squealing like schoolgirls, watching their children talk.

"They are so cute together!" said Hitomi excitedly.

"I know, right? To bad, we will never be able to play matchmaker and spoil our future grandchildren." pouted Kushina.

"Tell me about it. They would have adored me!"

The redhead arched a brow. "Huh-uh. They would have adored ME. I mean come on, we Uzumaki know how to have fun, ya know. Not like your stuck-up clan of tight-asses."

"Excuuuuuuuuse me? I know how to have fun! It's the elders who have sticks up their behind!"

"Meh. You would have scared them, with your freaky eyes!"

"And you with your ugly hair, Tomato!"

A murderous glint appeared in Kushina's eyes. "What did you say?"

"Tomato! Tomato! TOMATO!" shouted Hitomi, giddy to see her old friend fuming.

"YA WANNA GO AT IT? YA WANNA FREAKING GO AT IT? THAT'S WHAT YA WANT? I WOULD BE A SUPER AWESOME GRANDMA! BELIEVE IT!"

"AH! THEY WOULD GET FAT WITH ALL THAT STINKY RAMEN YOU ATE!"

And with that, the two ghosts and grandmothers-hopeful brawled on their own graves, while their children were leaving the cemetery, happily chatting with each other.

* * *

**That's it. I hope you liked the NaruHina scene at the cemetery. There will be more in future chapters. And they are all already planned.  
**

**As always, I hoped you enjoyed your read, and (pretty) please review!**


	6. Foxes and Bells

**This chapter took me way longer than it should have. I'll blame school and homework. But I always put the blame on school and homework. I don't think I am the only one.**

**Before going any further, I would like to give huge thanks to my brand new beta reader, Kyuubi Soul, both for accepting to be my beta, and for his great work on this chapter.**

**I know that some of you won't like it, but I changed all the techniques name and some titles from Japanese to English. I prefer the original version better myself, but since I don't speak Japanese at all, naming original techniques would be a huge pain. I edited the other chapters on this point too, to preserve continuity.**

**And speaking of edits and continuity, I'd like to thank SilentSambo88 for pointing out one such mistake between chapter 4 and 5. It has been corrected. **

**I would also like to thank Hektols for his great hindsight and suggestion. I edited the scene where Naruto signs the contract with the Masked Beasts slightly to make it appear more in-character. However, I did not gave him back the Toads. Your arguments made a lot of sense and were spot on, but I still really don't like having Naruto keep his contract with the Toads if he just ends up forgetting to use them. Sorry :(**

**Oh, and since we are still in the edits, after re-reading the beginning of Shippuden, I was reminded that Gaara was not defeated until after the Bell Test. So, that last line in the previous chapter is gone. I'll blame school and homework again, and my own damn memory.**

**I also started a poll on my profile page, related to this story. More details on that at the end of the chapter. It's already quite crowded up here.**

**On to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. But I own Minato and Itachi. Figurines of Minato and Itachi. Better than nothing, I guess.**

* * *

The sun was raising slowly over Konoha, and with it, its rays were slowly making their ways through the windows and up the beds of the people still asleep, before hitting their faces and disturbing their slumber.

Naruto was also the unfortunate victim of this uncomfortable and unwelcome situation, which seemed the worst on Mondays. Luckily for the blond (or tragically, if you are a member of the Nara clan), he had been forced to wake up very early by Jiraiya during their training. To start the day along with the sun was actually a luxury he had been deprived of for two years.

As the Uzumaki opened his eyes, the fog that was shrouding his memories of the previous day faded away.

He had nearly cried after slurping down five bowls of Ichiraku ramen. He had missed it dearly when he was on the road. He didn't even had to pay, since the chief and his daughter, Teuchi and Ayame, were extremely happy to have their best customer back. Then, Iruka had arrived, and the two had celebrated their reunion with even more service of the noodly dish.

He then had made his way towards his old apartment, before remembering that Jiraiya had offered him to stay with him. He had still entered, and had been shocked (and a bit grossed out) by the thick layer of dust covering... pretty much everything. A few Kage Bunshin and some low-powered Wind jutsu made the cleaning a quick affair.

He hadn't stayed for long, just the time needed to take a few of his most precious possessions: the picture of Team Seven, taken just after the bell test, a spare of his old jumpsuit (that Kurama quickly forbade him to wear), his night cap, and his old goggles.

Naruto then wandered around Konoha, half going wherever his feet led him, half searching for his godfather's apartment. After an hour and a half, he decided to just go back and ask Tsunade.

He had expected the place to be a total mess, or even to find one or two 'interviewee', as Jiraiya liked to call his usual female companionship. But, to his surprise, the Toad Sage's apartment was actually a clean and rather elegant, despite the fact that it was obviously rarely used.

The decoration was rather traditional, but nothing overly fancy. There were five rooms in total: a huge living room, where the kitchen was also located, two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a private office.

Naruto had gone straight to bed because he wanted to be at his best for the test against Kakashi, but he also wanted to prepare himself mentally for his upcoming revelation.

His status as a jinchūriki was still unknown by the younger generation of Konoha shinobi. The Sandaime's law was still in effect, but he didn't want to keep it hidden anymore. He had already stated his reasons to Tsunade.

It didn't meant that Naruto wasn't scared. He was deeply afraid of losing the friends he had worked so hard to make. For all his training and maturing, the Uzumaki's greatest fear hadn't changed.

Loneliness.

He knew that Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shizune and Kakashi would stay by his side, but he couldn't predict his classmates reaction.

He shook his head. Now was not the time to be nervous. He had to do it, if not for him, at least for his friends.

The smell of cooking fortunately brought Naruto out of his less-than-pleasant thoughts. He would have to muse later on. First and foremost, he had an empty stomach to fill. He went to the bathroom to take a quick shower, and then followed the smell.

Jiraiya's kitchen was spacious, and better equipped than the Uzumaki's former one. The Toad Sage was a decent cook, if not a lazy one. During their trip, Jiraiya would buy large amount of food and use special seals to conserve it fresh, allowing godfather and godson to eat relatively tasty meals during their journey in the wildest areas of the Elemental Nations.

The Sannin had already ate, and was now sipping tea, with a grave and contemplative expression. It seemed pretty funny to Naruto that, when nobody was looking, Jiraiya could be the living image of a battle-hardened shinobi, and yet in a combat situation, all he could pull out were those goofy kabuki poses.

The only form of acknowledgement the older shinobi gave to his godson's presence was a brief flicker of his gaze when he sat down on the couch after serving himself a bowl of miso soup, before he resumed his intensive staring.

Now Naruto was growing curious. Looking in the same direction as his godfather, the blond noticed that he was looking at a long bundle, next to a pile of scrolls. And then he remembered.

His inheritance.

Quickly forgetting about his breakfast, Naruto jumped straight towards the bundle, impatient to know what it was. Ignoring Jiraiya's concerned look, the Uzumaki began to unwrap it, and only stopped to stare in awe at the now revealed object.

It was a sword. He iddly remembered Tsunade talking about one the day before, but now he was too busy looking, or rather admiring it.

The weapon was longer than what he was used to see, with a three feet-long blade. It didn't have a sheath, allowing the blond to admire the dark steel the blade was made of, in which he could make out a strange undulating design, both extremely alluring and yet frightening. The handle was wrapped in a dark red cloth, decorated with a black spiralling design. Grabbing it, the blond was surprised by how heavy the sword was.

Naruto had a little experience when it came to kenjutsu. Jiraiya had told him that his clan were feared as seal masters, but were also skilled swordsmen. Kushina herself knew quite well how to use a blade. This bit of information led Naruto to pester his godfather to teach him kenjutsu, which sadly was one of the few areas of the shinobi arts that Jiraiya knew strictly nothing about.

Luckily for the blond jinchūriki, during the first year of their trip, they crossed path with an old acquaintance of the Toad Sage, a rōnin named Tatewaki. They had met during the Third Shinobi War, when the former samurai was unwillingly caught in a battle between Iwa and Suna. He ended up being the only survivor, but had been still gravely wounded. Fortunately, Jiraiya, who was on an intel gathering mission at the time, had found him and brought him to nearest Konoha field hospital.

Since then, Tatewaki considered himseld indebted to the Toad Sage. And when Jiraiya had asked him to teach the basics of kenjutsu to his godson, he had accepted quickly, glad that he could repay the Sannin, if only a little.

Naruto's lessons in the art of the sword hadn't lasted for long, as both the two shinobi in training and the rōnin were travelling. He still had learned quickly the few things Tatewaki had had the time to teach him, but as it was, the blond's kenjutsu was still rather lackluster.

But even with the little skill he had, the blond knew that the sword in his hand was a magnificient craft. The weapon was beautiful, and yet emitted this dark vibe that could only ooze out of a true instrument of death.

"Gaki..." he turned his head to meet Jiraiya's worried eyes. "Be careful with that. If this is what I think it is..."

"What? It's just a sword."

The Sannin was about to respond, before he looked at the clock on the wall. "I'll tell you later. It's a long story."

Huffing, Naruto replaced the sword on the ground, not bothering to wrap it up again.

"We should be on our way, now. I don't think Tsunade will tolerate you being late two days in a row."

* * *

They arrived at training ground 7, a few minutes before 8 pm, and, to Naruto's relief, the only people present were: Tsunade, Shizune, Sakura and Kakashi. He didn't feel ready to confront his friends just yet.

His inner turmoil was obvious to all the person present. Jiraiya patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, Tsunade and Shizune gave him a reassuring smile, Kakashi did his weird eye smile and Tonton oinked in what seemed to be an encouraging tone. Given the fact that only the Hokage and her assistant could understand the pig, it was hard to tell.

Beside Tonton, nobody emitted a sound. It was clear for the two jōnin and the two Sannin that the blond needed the little time he had before the three teams arrived for himself.

Sakura did not like this atmosphere. She understood that Naruto was about to reveal something very important about himself, something that the four older shinobi seemed to know already. She remained silent too, not wanting to disturb her teammate, but the anticipation and the latent tension in the air was starting to get to her.

After five minutes of a pregnant silence, the other ninja of Naruto and Sakura's generation arrived. The pinkette noticed that Kurenai, Asuma and Gai seemed unusually tense. Whatever the Uzumaki was about to say, it seemed that it would be something big.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the loud greetings of a certain spandex-wearing shinobi.

"Naruto-kun! I think I talk for all of us when I say that having you back in Konoha brings joy to my heart!" Without letting the Uzumaki answer, Lee took his signature fighting. "Ever since the Chūnin Exams, I have wanted to fight against you! I am sure that your training under a Sannin has made the youthful flames of your spirit burn even more!"

"Huh... Nice to see you too, Lee." said Naruto awkwardly. "I'd like to spar with you too, but-"

"Oi, Lee! You're not the only one who wants to fight against the knucklehead! Step in line!" hollered the feral shinobi of Team Kurenai. Kiba playfully elbowed Naruto's ribs, while Akamaru (who looked more like a bear than a dog now, in the blond's opinion) happily barked in a greeting tone.

"It's been a while, Naruto! I hope you've gotten stronger! Because I have, and I still have to pay you back for that fart during the Exams!"

Following Kiba and Lee, the others greeted Naruto one after the other, and with a bit more restrain. The more perceptive of the group, Shikamaru, Neji, Shino and Hinata, had noticed, like Sakura before, the fact that the blond and the older ninja's stances were tense, even though they tried to hide it well. It was particularly obvious with Naruto, who looked distracted by something that was obviously alarming him. Whenever he would greet someone back, he seemed somewhat distant, as if he was afraid that they would bite him like a rabid dog if he made an abrupt movement.

Shikamaru in particular was starting to get suspicious of something. Even though Asuma hadn't said much to his team before they came to the training ground, the way he had looked at the new Ino-Shika-Chō told the Nara heir enough.

Naruto, on the other hand, was slowly starting to panic. Seeing his old friends, so happy to see him back in Konoha only made his fear of seeing them shun him away after they knew about his furry tenant even worse. Managing to avoid another one of Lee's youthful embraces, he quickly glanced at Tsunade. The busty Hokage, noticing her favourite genin's predicament, clapped her hands to get the all the shinobi's attention.

"Everybody! I would like first to thank you all for coming on such a short notice. However, it was not on my demand, but Naruto's, that you are all here this morning. He has... something important to reveal to you all."

"Thanks, Bā-chan," Naruto murmured, before turning to face his comrades. All were now silent, and looking at the blond either expectantly, curiously or apprehensively.

"So... as Bā-chan said, thanks for coming guys." the blond started. "I won't be beating around the bush. You all know that there's a group of nukenin called the Akatsuki out there, and that they are all extremely powerful."

Everyone nodded, wondering why Naruto felt the need to remind them of this information. After Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigake Kisame had broke out into the village in order to capture the village shortly after the end of the Oto and Suna invasion, Jiraiya and Tsunade both agreed that it was safer to inform the lower ranked ninja about the criminal organisation, and to order to flee on sight if an encounter ever happened. Beside the two Sannin, and maybe Kakashi and Gai, there were no shinobi strong enough in Konoha to take on an Akatsuki member alone. Asuma and Kurenai had done the same with their genin squad, after their crushing defeat against the rogue Uchiha and the monstruous swordsman.

"What you don't know, is what they are after." Naruto continued. "The Akatsuki wants to capture the nine bijū. Do you know what they are?"

_**'Not what, you hairless monkey. Who. Even if we have animal forms, we still are able to think and feel, even more so than humans if you asked me,' Kurama growled from Naruto's mind, 'and as such deserve to be considered as conscious beings.'**_

_'Yeah, yeah, sorry to hurt your feelings. Now is not the time.'_ retorted the Uzumaki.

"Bijū? Wasn't the Kyūbi one, or something?" asked Tenten.

"Yes, the Fox is one them. And that's why two members of the Akatsuki infiltrated Konoha. In order to retrieve it." confirmed Naruto.

"Wait a minute!" shouted Kiba. "Why would they try to capture a monster that doesn't exist anymore? The Yondaime Hokage killed it!"

If Naruto wasn't anxious before, he certainly was now. _'This is it...'_

"No, he didn't."

The young shinobi expressed their incredulity either through gasps, shouts, or looks. It was Jiraiya who calmed them, stepping to his godson's side, in order to clarify everything.

"A bijū can't be killed. They are beings made of chakra, and as such, even if they are physically defeated, they will eventually reform themselves after a certain amount of time, usually a decade."

Shikamaru's feeling was only getting worst. He was starting to figure out where this was going. And if he was right... it was too troublesome to think about.

"But then... how did the Yondaime defeat the Kyūbi?" he asked.

The Toad Sage glanced at his apprentice, and seeing him nod, stepped back. Naruto, even though he knew how difficult it would be, had to do this alone.

"He... sealed it away."

The Nara's eyes widened. He was right.

"Then... you..."

The blond nodded.

"That's what you meant, back then, in the hospital..."

Another nod. Naruto knew that Shikamaru referred to the day when they wanted to visit Lee after his defeat against Gaara, when they confronted the Suna jinchūriki as he was about to finish the taijutsu user, when they heard of his horrible life, when he claimed to be a monster, and when Naruto retorted that he had a true one inside of him.

"Oi! Stop talking with half sentences! What do you mean, he was sealed?" hollered Kiba, who's patience was growing thin. Even though he was not as perceptive as his teammates, he could still feel that something important was happening. And he wanted to know what.

"I mean exactly what I said. The Kyūbi was sealed by the Yondaime..." answered Naruto. "Now, do you guys know what a jinchūriki is?"

Seeing everyone, except Shikamaru who was still thinking about what he just learned, shaking their head, the blond continued his explanation. "A jinchūriki is a person... inside of whom a bijū has been sealed."

This time, he got a reaction from Sakura, Hinata, Neji, and even if it was hard to notice it, from Shino. The girls gasped, finally understanding what Naruto wanted to tell them. Neji finally understood something that had been bothering him ever since his fight against the Uzumaki during the finals of the Chūnin Exams: the red and evil chakra that he had used to forcefully reopen his tenketsu. Shino, like the Hyūga prodigy, had often wondered why Naruto had always generated such a malicious aura. It was barely noticable, but his kikaichū had noticed it, during their Academy days. The Aburame clan's prized insects were sensible sensors, which is why Shino and his peers were often placed in tracking teams.

"Naruto-kun," said Lee, raising his hand to catch Naruto's attention, "do you mean that the Kyūbi was sealed inside someone by Yondaime-sama?"

"Yes." confirmed Naruto. "And this someone..." he continued, grabbing his shirt and lifting it so he could show his friends his bare stomach, "...was me."

Channeling a bit of chakra, the blond made the mark that had plagued his life, the Eight-Trigrams Seal, appear on his skin.

Silence fell on the training ground. The Konoha Eleven either had no idea what to say, or were reflecting on Naruto's revelation. The jōnin and the two Sannin were waiting for their reaction, and hoping that they wouldn't reject the Uzumaki.

Naruto himself had lowered his head, in order to hide how tight he had closed his eyes, as if he was waiting for someone to strike him. He was tempted to use his Negative Emotions Sensing, but he was also afraid to feel the fresh hatred, anger and fear.

Kiba, after two minutes of having his jaw hanging dangerously close to the ground, finally managed to find his voice. "This... this is a joke, right?"

"No, Kiba. I am the jinchūriki of the Kyūbi." Naruto replied.

"Is... is that why the adults told us not to hang out with you when we were younger?" the feral teen asked. The blond answered with a silent nod.

Sighing again, the Uzumaki raised his head back up, allowing his comrades to see his fearful, yet resigned, eyes. "I won't hold it against you if you... if you don't want us to stay friends. I just wanted to tell you guys what the Akatsuki were after. In a close future, it's almost certain that they will reveal themselves again, and maybe attack the village. There is a possibility that they'll kidnap one of you, just to lure me out, and I didn't want you to face those criminals without you knowing why you did it. You deserve to know the truth."

Once again, no words followed. Most of the Konoha Eleven were still processing what they just learned.

The silence was broken, this time, by perhaps the least expected member of the former Rookie Nine. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and yet everybody heard it as if it was a shout of defiance.

"It doesn't matter to me..."

Stepping forward so she could directly face Naruto, and still manage to see his eyes even if he tried to hide anguish that was plaguing him, Hinata slowly, but without hesitation, put her hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"It doesn't matter to me if you have the Kyūbi sealed inside of you, Naruto-kun. I... I admired you from afar for a long time..." she revealed, blushing. "and never have I saw you give in to anger or hatred, despite the way the villagers treated you. And I admired you for that. I still do. Despite everything that was thrown in your way, you still persevered. You never gave up. It inspired me. You inspired me. To grow stronger, and to get back up no matter what."

Naruto was stunned. It was rare to hear Hinata talk for so long, and so confidently. But her speech was slowly but surely washing away the fear of loneliness. Just like she had lifted his spirit, three years ago, before he affronted Neji. She had a way to reach him, and to find the right words to reassure him. Her pale eyes were two comforting pools of honesty. She meant every single one of her words.

"And, I can see in your eyes that you are afraid. Genuinely afraid, of losing our trust. And this is enough proof, for me, that I can keep trusting you, Naruto-kun, like I always did." she concluded.

The blond could not prevent himself from relaxing slightly. He had, at the very least, one of his friends who stayed by him, even after knowing of his burden. Unable to control himself, he hugged her.

"Thank you Hinata! I take back what I said yesterday! You are not awesome! You are more-than-awesome!"

The bluenette, however, was starting to feel light-headed. Her sudden surge of assurance after seeing Naruto looking so downcast was starting to fade, and the fact that her not-so-secret crush was hugging her did not help. But she could not help the happiness and pride of succesfully cheering Naruto up from bubbling in her chest.

Hinata was not the only one whose trust in Naruto did not falter. "This is a drag... but Hinata is right. We've known Naruto since the Academy, and despite what some adults told us, I never felt endangered in his presence." said Shikamaru. "Sure, he is troublesome, but this doesn't really change anything for me. He is still good old Naruto."

The blond was about to reply, before Lee once again nearly rushed to face him. "Naruto-kun! You truly are an amazing shinobi! Not only are you a genius of hard work, like myself, but you also had to keep the Kyūbi at bay your whole life! Words cannot describe the sheer youthfulness of your spirit, Naruto-kun! You truly are living the Springtime of your Youth!"

"I, too, do not think that Naruto is a danger to any of us." came a voice that, unsurprisingly, everybody had forgot. This did not seemed to faze Shino, who had his eyes, or at least his glasses, fixed on the blond container. "Why? Because our situations are similar, if not on the same scale. I too have other beings inhabiting my body. I can thus relate in a way to our comrade."

"I, too, will stay by his side." Neji butted in. "Your burden is heavier than mine, Naruto. Even back when I was still convinced that the life of every being was dictated by fate, it would have been foolish of me to compare our situation. Besides... during our fight, I saw you using what I suppose is the Kyūbi's chakra. I have no reason to think that you are not able to control it."

"This is the other reason I asked you all to come, actually." admitted Naruto. "I wanted to prove to all of you that I am in control. To put it shortly, the Kyūbi and I... we have a deal."

"A deal?" asked Shikamaru suspiciously. "Even from you, Naruto, striking a deal with a demon seems a bit-"

"Do not worry, young Nara." interrupted Jiraiya. "I had my share of doubts and fears at first, but I can assure you all that the Fox is not a problem anymore. Consider him like a reluctant ally."

The insurance of a Sannin seemed to placate the worries of the rest of the Konoha Eleven. Kiba, who had been completely caught off guard by Naruto's revelation, was now proclaiming that even though the blond had a bijū's chakra at his disposal, he still would eventually kick his ass. He was soon joined by Ino, Chōji and Tenten.

Sakura, however, stayed in the back. She was not afraid of her teammate, far from it. She knew better than most of their classmates that Naruto would never willingly allow himself to be a puppet to the Kyūbi. However, learning that the Uzumaki had such a burden, and at the same time, such power resting on his shoulders made her feel, once again, left behind.

Back when Team Seven was still complete, Sakura knew that she was the weakest of the three. Sasuke was a genius, gifted with the dreaded Sharingan, and Naruto had an unbendable will of steel and was progressing at an incredible rate. All the pinkette had was her booksmart, which were not often useful during a fight, her extraordinay chakra control, and her mastery of the three Academy jutsu.

When Sasuke went rogue to join Orochimaru and Naruto was taken as an apprentice by Jiraiya, Sakura had sought out the help of the last Sannin, Tsunade. The Slug Princess had put the Haruno through an extremely demanding training regimen, allowing her to increase her physical shape, sharpen her basic skills, and turning her into and accomplished medic-nin. Sakura was proud of her progress, finally walking alongside her two wayward teammates, in her mind.

But now, knowing that Naruto was a jinchūriki, she could not help but feel slightly desperate. How could she possibly reach his level now? And Sasuke, who was already a powerful ninja in his own right before leaving, was now trained by Konoha's most dangerous traitor. Could she really ever be compared to her teammates?

_'I shouldn't feel like that.'_ she thought. _'Naruto works hard to reach his dreams, it's natural that he is becoming so strong. But knowing him, he'll get himself hurt on his way to become Hokage. And I'll be there to heal him. And Sasuke-kun... maybe Naruto and I can heal Sasuke-kun's spirit... maybe I can heal his heart if... when we bring him back.'_

With a newly found resolve, Sakura joined her comrades around Naruto, just as Tsunade decided to speak. "Alright! I am glad that the new generation is less biased than the old one! However, there is still a test that Naruto and Sakura need to pass, and I believe that you wanted to prove to your friends that you could use the Fox's chakra without losing control, gaki."

"Oh, yeah, right, I almost forgot!" the blond said sheepishly. Letting go of Hinata (who he had kept in his arms the whole time, much to her delight) much to her displeasure, he walked confidently towards the three wooden post, Sakura in tow, the very same place they had become Team Seven.

All the while, Kakashi (who was seemingly reading his infamous book) had listen closely to everything that had been said. He was curious to see how exactly Naruto planned to demonstrate his mastery of the Kyūbi's chakra. The best way to do that would be in a... fight...

_'Wait a minute...'_

"Huh... Naruto?" the silver-haired jōnin called hesitantly. "You don't plan on using a bijū's power on your dear teacher, right?"

Not that Kakashi thought that he couldn't beat his student, far from it. But knowing the Uzumaki, one could never be too careful.

His worries were not helped by the wolfish grin on the blond's face.

"Come on, Kakashi-sensei. I did say that I forgave, but did not forget, right? I'll go easy on you, I promise. And I never break a promise, ya know."

Though Naruto's cockiness was something Kakashi planned to correct right away, he could still feel a tiny bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

Closing his Icha Icha, the Copy Ninja moved to face his student, wondering if he should use his Sharingan right at the start, or wait for a bit and analyze his old pupil's fighting styles.

As he was about to explain the rules of the test, Naruto suddenly raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei! I forgot something!" He then proceeded to take something out of his pouch, and the silver-haired shinobi was surprised to see that it was a green book. It almost looked like...

"Na-Naruto... is that what I think it is?"

"Yep!" the blond confirmed cheerfully. "This is Icha Icha Tactics! It's the sequel that's not even available in stores yet!"

"Is that for me?" the jōnin asked increduously.

"Well... yeah! I know you are a fan, and this one is probably the best of the series!"

"The best, really?" Kakashi raised his one visible eyebrow. "How could you possibly know that this one is the best?"

"Huh..." Naruto suddenly looked sheepish, and slightly embarassed, if the fact that he was rubbing the back of his head, blushing and looking away from everyone was any indication. "I may or may not have read it... along with the rest of the other novels... but it was only proof-reading!"

Kakashi was stunned. Lowering his head, so that his eye was hidden, he whispered. "Not only have you read the Icha Icha series, but you are giving me the newest book before his official release?" Raising his head again, everybody could see the slow tears of pride falling from his lone eye. "You... know how to make a sensei proud, Naruto..."

What followed, nobody expected it. The Uzumaki never truly had anybody complimenting him during his life, except Iruka, the Sandaime, Kakashi and Jiraiya. This led him to cherish whatever praises he could get. And hearing his first teacher, and one of his most precious people, openly claimed that he was proud of him... almost moved him to tears.

"Kakashi-sensei..."

"Naruto..."

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

"NARUTO!"

And, to the mortification of Tsunade, Shizune, Sakura, Tenten and Neji, the morbid amazement of Shikamaru, Chōji, Ino, Shino and Kiba, and the tearful joy of Gai, Lee and surprisingly, Hinata, Naruto and Kakashi rushed towards one another, before embracing each other like their lives depended on it.

"What... WHAT THE FUCK?!" shouted Tsunade, pointing at the two porn-readers. "YOU CORRUPTED NARUTO, DIDN'T YOU, YOU FUCKING PERVERT! OI, LISTEN TO ME BEFORE I KILL YOU!"

Jiraiya, however, did not notice her, as he was watching Kakashi and his godson hugging each other like they were family. A lone tear of pride making its way down his cheek, at the touching scene that his magnificient writing skills had permitted to happen.

Sakura, who was the closest of the two, just refused to believe that her teammate and her sensei could act like that, and was just continuously trying to break out of the genjutsu she was sure she was caught in.

"ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP!" shouted Tsunade again, this time directing her killing intent towards the two emotional shinobi. Snapped out of their tearful trance, Naruto and Kakashi separated, looking embarassed. "Sorry about that..." they said in unison.

The Godaime snorted. "We already have two youthful freaks, we don't need more. Now get on with that freaking test."

"Right." Kakashi took a second to recompose his cool facade, despite noticing at the periphery of his field of vision Asuma and Kurenai snickering and pointing at him. 'I'll never hear the end of this...'

Naruto and Sakura were impatiently waiting for Kakashi to start the test, even though the pinkette was shooting disdainful glance at her teammate every now and then. Reaching for his pouch, the silver-haired jōnin took out two familiar bells from it. Realization hit the two former genin of Team Seven.

"I don't think I need to explain much of what I expect from the two of you." said Kakashi. "You know the rules. Get the bells from me. Intent to kill. All that stuff."

Tying the two bells to his belt, Kakashi then made the sign of confrontation.

"You have until sunrise tomorrow. And the test starts now."

Sakura immediately fell into her fighting stance, ready to assist Naruto when he rushed ahead. But to her surprise, he did not move. The blond was standing still, arms crossed in front of his chest, looking intently at Kakashi.

The Copy Ninja, too, was caught off gard by his now favourite student's behaviour. His attitude was completely different. Everybody could witness for themselves Naruto's growth.

His expression was hard, his jaw clenched, his narrowed eyes an icy blue. A stark contrast to his usually goofy and laid-back self. It was as if a switch had been pressed, and a whole other persona had replaced his usual one.

Seeing the surprised looks his godson was getting, Jiraiya smirked proudly. After their misadventure in the Land of Mountains, Naruto had taken his training even more seriously. Now knowing that killing was sometimes the only way to keep what he held precious safe, the jinchūriki had steeled his resolve, and vowed to never back down if a fight could not be avoided.

Another thing he learned was to observe his opponent, instead of rushing blindly and trying to overwhelm his foe with Shadow Clones. And his current observation was telling him that Kakashi wasn't really taking him or Sakura seriously, right now. He wasn't reading his book, but he did not uncover his Sharingan either, and his stance, while allowing him to move quickly in case of a sudden attack, could be much more refined.

That would not do.

Glancing at Sakura, Naruto could see that she was getting impatient. Her fists were curled, and her eyes were hard. It seemed that she too had noticed the fact that Kakashi did not take them for a threat, and it did not seemed to please her.

Looking back at his teacher, the blond noticed his right hand slowly moving towards the pouch were he had previously put his newly acquired Icha advantage of that, Naruto quickly threw a few shuriken at the jōnin, which only prompted him to raise an eyebrow. What the Uzumaki did next made his eye widened.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

A handful of shuriken became a hundred, forcing the Copy Ninja to dart away to his right, were Sakura had placed herself when she saw Naruto making his move. Not letting her lazy sensei any room to breathe, she jumped in the air, aiming for a decisive hit.

"Cherry Blossom Impact!"

Narrowingly dodging the chakra-laced punch, it was Kakashi's turn to jump, and he was glad he did. The reason for that was that as soon Sakura's attack hit the ground, there wasn't a ground anymore. The earth on a ten-meter radius around her was pulverized, chunks of it flying aroud.

The jōnin started to sweat profusedly at this display of power. 'I should really fight them seriously... Otherwise, they will really kill me.'

He was about to lift his hitai-ate up in order to put his Sharingan to use, when he sensed his other pupil's presence under him. Airborne as he was, he would be hard pressed to dodge whatever Naruto was about to unleash upon him. And this unnerving grin was, once again, plastered on his whiskered face.

It was then that Kakashi noticed the blond's hands, forming the tiger symbol. Or it could be...

_'Oh, shit...'_ he immediately started to look for something to permute with, before getting his butt invaded by the jinchūriki's fingers.

"Hidden Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu..." said Naruto ominously, before swiftly aiming for the silver-haired shinobi's rear. "One Thousand Years of Death!"

Instead of the satisfying girly scream he expected, all the Uzumaki got was the sound of a log's splitted half falling on the ground. Clacking his tongue in annoyance, Naruto quickly look around, above, and under him, searching for Kakashi. Taking a look at the destroyed target of the Copy Ninja's Substitution Technique, he iddly wondered what the result of having four fingers coated with wind chakra up someone's ass would look like.

Unbeknownst to him, hidden in the foliage of a tree and chakra signature suppressed to avoid detection, Kakashi was wondering the exact same thing, but instead of being morbidly curious, he was sweating.

He had told his students to come at him with the intent to kill. They were doing so a bit too happily for his liking.

At least, this little skirmish had allowed him to gather some data on Naruto and Sakura's skills. The pinkette had obviously inherited Tsunade's strength. Not only that, but her speed and agility were clearly nothing to laugh at either. Her sharp intellect had gotten sharper too, as she had been able to determine where Kakashi would go after dodging Naruto's attack.

Speaking of the blond, even wihout his Sharingan, the Copy Ninja could see that both his hand signs and his chakra control had improved tremendously. And if Sakura had gotten quicker, it was nothing compared to Naruto's progress. He didn't even saw, or sensed him moving. Either the blond was extremely fast, or was a proficient Body-Flicker user.

As Kakashi was processing what he had just learned, Naruto and Sakura were trying to come up with a plan.

"We need to catch him off guard, but... how do we do that? He is probably observing us, right now." said the pinkette.

"Relax, Sakura-chan. I'll find Kakashi-sensei in no time." the Uzumaki assured.

Closing his eyes in concentration, Naruto focused on his unique sensory ability. Amongst the powers he gained from Kurama, it was with the Negative Emotions Sensing that the blond had progressed the most. However, in order to use it to its full capacity, he needed to stay still and gather a small amount of his tenant's chakra.

He knew that Kakashi had served in the ANBU, and as such, he was extremely skilled in the art of controling his emotions. But even still, totally suppressing them was impossible.

On the sidelines, Neji and Hinata, who were observing the fight with their Byakugan, noticed that Naruto's chakra, previously entirely blue, was now containing small patches of crimson.

"Is that...?" started the bluenette.

"It is similar to what I saw when I fought Naruto during the Chūnin Exams... but it is more contained. He really does have some measure of control over it." confirmed Neji.

Hinata nodded absently, too busy admiring her crush's chakra. Her kekkei genkai allowed her to admire how bright the blond's energy was. Next to him, Sakura only looked like a dying spark. The Uzumaki's chakra was beaming as strongly as the sun and was of a shade of blue as intense as the sky of a summer day. In other words, Naruto's chakra was beautiful, despite the small flickers of red swirling around his pathways.

Back with the two tested shinobi, Sakura was nervously looking around her, and extending her senses to encompass all of their surroundings. Kakashi was observing the pinkette, relieved that he could take time to think of a way to fight against his students. He was done underestimating them. He had already lifted his hitai-ate, revealing his Sharingan.

Though the Uchiha's dōjutsu was not as effective as the Hyūga's when it came to perception, Kakashi's implant still allowed him to make out the red chakra in Naruto's body. And he would be lying if he said that it did not worry him.

And this little feeling of fear was all it took for Naruto to locate him. The blond had to admit, his sensei had an excellent self-control.

Focused as he was, the jinchūriki could sense even the faintest emotions. Even among the growing nervousness of Sakura, the still-angry Tsunade at learning that he was taking after his sensei a bit too much and the light amount of lust coming from Jiraiya as he was taking a sneaky glance at the Godaime's cleavage when he was sure she was distracted, he managed to discern the slight peak of nervosity coming from a nearby tree.

"Found you." said Naruto in a sing-song voice, before throwing a kunai at the hidden jōnin, forcing Kakashi to jump down.

"I know you are not a sensor, so how did you find me?" asked Kakashi. Sakura, too, was wondering how her blond, and previously oblivious teammate managed to detect a ninja as skilled as the Copy Ninja so quickly.

"That's one of the perks that I got from the giant furball. I can sense negative emotions like hatred, anger, murderous intent, fear or lust. If I am concentrating exclusively on my sensing ability, even someone who went though ANBU training, like you sensei, won't be able to hide from me." explained Naruto.

_'I see... so stealth is out of the question.'_ thought the silver-haired jōnin. _'I did not expect him to have grown this much, and we only just began... Sakura, too, progressed impressively. They might be able to beat me, if this goes on like that... but I can't really let them outclass their sensei just yet now, can I?'_

"I must admit, you both surprised me. And since I can't hide from Naruto... I guess I can't hold back any longer."

"I hoped you would say that, Kakashi-sensei." said the Uzumaki, smirking. "Prepare yourself for some serious ass-whooping!"

"It's my chance to pay you back for all those meetings you were late for, sensei!" Sakura screeched, her fists shaking with anticipation.

The Copy Ninja chuckled at his pupils' eagerness. Even though he was thrilled to witness their strength, it was comforting to see that certain things did not change.

Exchanging a barely perceptible nod, Naruto and Sakura darted forward, opting to overwhelm Kakashi. The former ANBU captain knew that a direct confrontation against the two together was unwise, and decided to split them. He created a Shadow Clone that he sent to fight against Sakura. Between the Haruno and the Uzumaki, the pinkette was the slowest, and would be the easiest for the clone to dodge.

He also expected his battle against Naruto to end up in a ninjutsu showdown, and while his clone would cast a few techniques, the fact it had only a fraction of his already small chakra reserves, compared to the jinchūriki, Kakashi decided that fighting his sensei's son himself was the better option.

Noticing at the corner of his vision that his teammate was being held off by a copy of the Copycat, the blond couldn't help but smirk. He was happy to fight alongside Sakura, but a small part of him was getting pumped up at the prospect of fighting his sensei one on one.

Immediately going on the offensive, Naruto threw a punch at Kakashi's face, which swiftly and easily avoided. The jōnin went for a chop at his pupil's neck, and missed when the blond crouched quickly and followed with a swipping kick directed at the older man's legs. Kakashi hopped to avoid the attack, and deflected the shuriken thrown by Naruto with a kunai of his own, taking advantage of the keen perception of his Sharingan.

Deciding to spice things up, the blond summoned a single Shadow Clone. They together went through a different series of hand signs, and fired their jutsu at the same time.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

The combination of both techniques unleashed a white hot inferno onto the silver-haired jōnin.

Naruto had to shield his eyes away from the incandescent light created by the raging fire he created.

As the flames died down a few moments later, they revealed nothing but scorched grass and blackened earth. No signs of Kakashi whatsoever.

Bells of alarm rang in the jinchūriki's mind, and feeling the slight uneasiness coming from his Negative Emotion Sensing when he detected a small amount of killing intent, he immediately leapt several feet back, narrowingly avoiding the two hands coming out of the ground that tried to grip his ankles.

_'Good thing I know the Hidden Mole Technique, otherwise I would have needed to use Kamui... and I still haven't fully mastered it yet,'_ thought Kakashi as he came out in open air. _'So he can use both Wind and Fire, huh? And thanks to his immense chakra pool, he can use a clone to combine both elements. Let's see what he still has up his sleeve.'_

And with that thought, Kakashi rushed his blond student, taking the initiative in their taijutsu fight this time.

At the same time, Sakura was hard pressed to even come close to hitting her sensei's clone. He was staying on the defensive, putting all his effort in dodging her dreadful hit.

The pinkette was growing more and more frustrated with each missed punches. Even with all her training, she was still not quick enough to land a finger on Kakashi. She knew that the silver-haired man was still way above her when it came to direct combat, and as such she had first tried to catch him inside a genjutsu, so she could dispel the clone and help Naruto against the true jōnin. But he had saw through it with ease, thanks to his Sharingan. Her speciality lied in medical ninjutsu. She was proud of her skills as a medic-nin, of course, but right now, she wished she had the same offensive techniques as her teammate. And now, all Sakura could do was trying to hit him.

This did not escape Naruto. Aside from the growing frustration, which was easy for him to sense, he was keeping an eye on his teammate. This brief moment of distraction earned him a kick in the gut from Kakashi.

"Looking out for your comrade is comendable, Naruto, but not if it distracts you so easily." taunted the Copy Ninja.

"I'll show you something distracting, sensei!" growled the blond in response. Quickly forming sign, he called "Wind Style: Divine Wind!"

A powerful gust of wind formed several small tornadoes, aimed at Kakashi. The jōnin managed to avoid a direct contact with the cyclones, but he did not evade the small cuts on his arms.

The former ANBU captain replicated with another jutsu. "Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Kakashi expelled a barrage of small fireballs from his mouth, and used his chakra to direct them to encircle Naruto and close his possible escape routes.

But instead of dodging, the Uzumaki opted for blocking. "Water Style: Water Bullets!"

The blond spat balls of condensed liquid at th fiery projectiles, creating a thick cloud of steam that concealed him from Kakashi.

_'Water, too? Damn... if he continues like this, Naruto will surpass me in no time... he really is sensei's son.'_ thought the silver-haired ninja.

He couldn't see through the steam, even with his Sharingan, as it was laced with the chakra of the colliding jutsu. He was still bracing himself, fully expecting Naruto to take advantage of the situation to catch him off-guard.

And that he did. When the jinchūriki emerged from the cloud of steam, it was to rush at Kakashi's clone.

The Hatake wasn't about to let Naruto do as he please. "Lightning Style: Lightning Hound!"

Chakra crepited around Kakashi's hand, before turning into a wolf made of electricity, who immediately went after the Uzumaki with dazzling speed. Naruto wasn't quick enough to dodge it, and he wouldn't have time to counter it with a wind jutsu.

His eyes turned red, his pupils into slits, his whiskers marks, his lips and the outline of his eyes grew darker, his hair wilder, his nails turned into claws and his teeth into fangs as he called upon Kurama's chakra to shield himself from Kakashi's Lightning Hound. The crimson cloak appeared around his body, creating a shockwave as the chakra of the Nine-Tails was released. This, in turn, dissipated the wolf and disrupted the chakra maintaining Kakashi's clone, effectively dispelling it.

The cyclopean shinobi started to sweat. The power of the Fox, even under control, was radiating enough killing intent to make a regular shinobi suffocate. Even the members of Team Asuma, Kurenai and Gai, who were watching the fight on the sidelines, could feel the evil chakra from their position. The younger ninja were starting to feel afraid.

It was one thing to know that Naruto could use the Kyūbi's chakra. It was another to see it in action.

"We... we're sure that he is in control, right?" asked Ino nervously.

"Oh, yes he is. Naruto can wisthand much more than that. He is only using three tails worth of power here." said Jiraiya confidently.

"Naruto-kun told us that he could control it... and he is not a liar. I trust him." claimed Hinata resolutely.

"And you are right, little missie. There's nothing to fear." agreed the Toad Sage.

Sakura, who was the closest of Naruto among their comrades, was shaking. 'This... this is what he is capable of... I can't compare to this! And Sasuke is probably as strong as he is by now...'

Her depressing train of thought was interrupted by the deeper than usual laugh of her teammate.

"Damn, Kakashi-sensei! You're not holding back on me!" Naruto chuckled in a husky voice.

The jōnin had to suppress a shiver from running down his spine as he looked at his student. The blond's red eyes and his feral smirk were unerving, and the density of his chakra cloak made the air around him heavier.

_'Such aura... if Naruto really can control the __Kyūbi, he could very well surpass Minato-sensei... but then again, wasn't that what he wanted? To give Naruto enough power to protect himself and the village?' _

"Brace yourself, Kakashi-sensei, I'm coming!" the jinchūriki warned, crouching in a feral stance, claws at the ready.

If not for his Sharingan, the Copy Ninja would be unable to even see Naruto move. And even with it, the only thing he could perceive was a red blur. Not ony did he have to deal with a much faster and stronger Naruto, but he also had to pay attention to the three chakra tails flailing at or trying to skewer him.

To his stupor, Kakashi was forced to open the First Celestial Gate, just so he could keep up with the jinchūriki. And even then, Naruto was still able to graze him, and leave proof of that with the numerous scratch and the singed mark on Kakashi's uniform.

Eventually, the Copy Ninja faltered after getting hit in the chest by one of the tails. Taking advantage of that, Naruto formed a Rasengan and ramed it in his sensei's chest. He smirked, before growling loudly. A pile of rumbles falled on the ground.

_'That was WAY to close... he almost got me. If I did not pulled out that Substitution in time, I would be out like a light.'_ thought Kakashi tiredly.

He was starting to feel exhausted. His small chakra reserves could not compare to those of an Uzumaki. But he could see that the Nine-Tails' chakra was starting to take its toll on Naruto. The three tails of his cloak were gone, and all that was left was a wild shroud of red chakra surrounding him. The blond was breathing with more difficulty than before, and he was lightly sweating.

_'Looks like this test won't last much longer... I expected them to only catch me during the night, but with Naruto's new sensory ability... I gave them until tomorrow to get the bells, and it has barely been an hour!'_

"Almost had you there, Kakashi-sensei." pointed out the jinchūriki.

"Yes, you almost did." he admitted. "Your progress is astonishing, Naruto. Sensei would be proud."

The blond smiled. Despite the fact that Minato himself had told him that he couldn't be happier of how he had grown up, it still felt good to hear someone who knew his father well tell him that.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. But I have something else to show you."

Opening his palm as if he was preparing a Rasengan, the blond then placed his other hand over the one where he was forming the blue orb. However, this time, instead of being blue, it was white, with four small blade-like protusions wildly spinning around it.

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. "You... you completed it?!"

Naruto's smile turned into a toothy grin. "Yep! That's my Wind Style: Rasengan!"

The Copy Ninja was watching the white orb in awe. What the Yondaime, himself and Jiraiya did not manage to accomplish... Naruto did. He had added an element to the Rasengan.

"How?"

"Well, I used my Shadow Clones, at first." explained the blond. "I would form the Rasengan, and the clone would add the wind chakra. But, like with the basic one, I trained to do it alone. I still need my two hands to stabilize it, but I can pull it off!"

To say that Kakashi was amazed would be an understatement. _'Shadow Clones... of course! With them, he can focus on each task separately, rather than doing everything himself at once... and he still managed to do it without a clone? Jiraiya-sama, what kind of training did you put your apprentice through?' _

"It hurts my pride as a sensei to admit it but... Naruto, you might have already surpassed me."

The blond's eyes lit up and his grin grew wider. He would have ran and hugged his teacher again if he was not certain that Tsunade would not put up with any more Gai-like shenanigans.

Sakura had watched the two of them fight, and he was now certain of it, she was clearly outclassed. It bothered her that she was so annoyed over Naruto's progress, but she could not help it. She felt like she would drag them down, just like when they entered the Chūnin Exams three years ago.

It was petty of her to think like that. She was aware of it. But she still felt like she could not live to the expectations of her teammates. Naruto was so strong, Sasuke was probably as powerful as he was, and Kakashi was one of the top jōnin of Konoha.

And now, their sensei just admitted that Naruto was on his way to surpass him.

Sakura was happy for him. But at the same time, she felt like a chasm was slowly getting larger and larger between them.

But she wouldn't brood over it. She was the apprentice of Senju Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage. She wouldn't give up. Even if it took her her whole life, she would catch up to them.

And right now, they still had bells to fetch.

Taking advantage of Kakashi's marvel at the wind-infused Rasengan, she darted towards him, arm stretched towards the two silvery sphere.

Unfortunately, Kakashi, despite his exhaustion, was still nimble enough to side-step and take the bells away from the pinkette's reach. However, in doing so, he had to present his back to Naruto.

Not one to let such an opportunity get wasted, the blond sprinted towards his sensei, decided to end the test with this technique.

"Gravity Concentration Technique!" he yelled, before slamming his hand between Kakashi's shoulder. A sealing array began to spread on the jōnin's back, before reaching for his arms and legs.

The Hatake felt like his limbs were ten times heavier than before. It took everything he had not to fall on his knees, and even then, he could only shakily stand. Taking a glance at his body, he noticed the long inky lines of kanji swirling around, like they were entangling him.

"I should have known Jiraiya-sama would teach you fūinjutsu..." he muttered. Naruto's response was to stuck his tongue at him, and doing the V of victory with his fingers, while Sakura snatched the bells from his belt.

"We win, Kakashi-sensei!" she announced happily.

The silver-haired man sighed, and could not help but feel old. 'Is it already time to make place to the new generation? Those two will go far...'

"Yes, you two passed the test... now can you release me?" he asked Naruto, as he was starting to get annoyed by his extremely heavy limbs.

"Oh, sorry... Release!" the blond called. Kakashi could feel himself relax instantly, and sighed again, this time in relief.

The sound of clapping made itself heard, and turning back to look at their spectators, they could see that it was coming from Tsunade, who was now approaching them.

"Well done, brats. You both pass with flying colours." she said proudly. Naruto cheered loudly, and headed towards his classmates to receive their congratulations. Sakura sighed dejectedly. She wanted to follow him, but she did not felt like she had the right to. Naruto had done almost everything, while she was being held back by a clone.

Tsunade noticed her apprentice dark mood, and patted her shoulder to reassure her. "Don't worry Sakura. You made great progress with the Enhanced Strength Technique. And even then, we both know that your speciality lies in medical ninjutsu. Naruto is good at beating people, but you are excellent at patching them up. Myself, I am not as good as Jiraiya when it comes to direct combat."

her warm expression then turned cold. "You better not repeat that last part to anyone, got it?"

"Yes, Tsunade-shishō. Thank you, you always know how cheer people up." said Sakura gratefully.

The last Senju chuckled. "Of course I do. I'm the Hokage after all." she boasted jokingly. Pointing towards Naruto, she nudged her apprentice playfully. "Now, let's get that annoying brat before his ego gets bigger than it already is."

And indeed, the Uzumaki was boasting over his victory, relishing in the obvious envy of Kiba.

"And I'm saying it's a fluke! You might have gotten stronger, but there's no way you could have defeated Kakashi-sensei! Right Akamaru?"

The white ninken only whined at his master, apparently not agreeing with him.

"Ha! Even your dog knows that I'm the best, Kiba!" cackled Naruto.

"Oi, brat, don't get too cocky. You know that the Akatsuki will pose a greater challenge than that, right?" said Jiraiya in what he wanted to be a stern voice, but he couldn't help his pride from bubbling in his chest and words.

"Yeah, I know, Ero-Sennin. It's just so fun to get on Kiba's nerves."

"NARUTO-KUN! YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH ARE BURNING SO BRIGHTLY THAT THEY EVEN EXCEEDED THOSE OF YOUR SENSEI! SUCH A YOUTHFUL DISPLAY MAKES BOTH MY BODY AND MY SOUL RESTLESS! PLEASE, FIGHT ME!" shouted Lee, once again in his Strong Fist stance.

"Huh... how about later, Lee? I'm kinda hungry right now..."

"Hum... N-Naruto-kun..." said Hinata softly. "I thought that maybe you... I mean somebody w-would get hungry during your t-test so... I brought some cinnamon buns with me, if you want some..."

"You have food?" asked Naruto hopefully. The bluenette nodded shyly in response. "Sweet! Of course I'd like some! I really like pastries!"

As Naruto started munching on the treats that Hinata was giving him, while sporting a look of longing that was either directed at the blond or at the buns, Jiraiya was conversing with Tsunade.

"Hime, we need to talk." he said grimly.

"What's the matter, you old pervert? And what's with that face?" she asked worriedly. Seeing the Toad Sage with such a serious expression was a rare sight.

"Do you know what was in the gaki's inheritance? And I am not talking about _that_ sword. It was pretty well known that Kushina used it during the war, so it was easy to figure out. I'm talking about some of the scrolls."

"No, I do not." she admitted. "I presumed that they were about fūinjutsu or kenjutsu. Maybe some Uzumaki techniques. They were kept in the most secured vaults of the Hokage Tower. I assumed that Sarutobi-sensei stored it there because of the sword and to be sure that nobody would try anything funny with Kushina's possessions."

"You are right... there are scrolls about sealing and sword techniques... but one of them is about _that_ art."

"_That_ art?" she repeated confusedly, before she blanched. "You don't mean the art of..."

"Yes, that one." Jiraiya confirmed.

She could feel her insides froze. "But I thought it was lost, as well as the rest of the Uzumaki clan's Archives... unless it was sent to Konoha, along with the Makoto?" Tsunade wondered aloud.

"That, or Kushina had it with her when she came to Konoha. But it doesn't really matter. The Uzumaki elders were smart enough to hide this techniques here. Can you imagine what would have happen if this scroll had fallen in the hands of Kumo or Iwa?"

Just thinking about those possibilities made Tsunade pale even more. Kumo was well known for its militaristic policies, and Iwa loved to hold grudges and pay its enemies back when they had the occasion. If _those_ jutsu were in their possession...

She shuddered.

"Should we tell Naruto about it? Or should we seal _that_ scroll away, like it was in Uzushio?" she asked.

"I don't know... though he is not the kind of person to abuse his power, something like _that_... On the other hand, it would give him a certain edge against the Akastuki." said the Toad Sage. "I think we should wait. Let's keep this as a last resort, if things turn dirty. If we don't need it, then we can either seal it or even destroy it."

"Yes, let's go with that." the busty Sannin agreed. This was just another headache that was coming her way. _'Damn those Uzumaki... to think I'm related to those troublesome redheads...__'_

She would have to deal with it later. Right now, she had young shinobi to dismiss. "Alright, everyone!" she shouted. "Thank you all again for coming. I'm proud of how you all accepted and supported Naruto, despite knowing about his tenant. However, the freshly reformed Team Seven..." at that, both Naruto and Sakura cheered loudly. Even Kakashi cracked his infamous eye-smile. "...is probably a bit tired by now. I'm giving you all the rest of the day off. Dismissed!"

The Rookie Eleven decided to stay together and celebrate Naruto's return. As they were leaving the training grounds and despite the cheerful atmosphere, the Uzumaki couldn't help but feel like things were going to turn badly in the next few days.

_'Are you feeling that too, Kurama?'_

_**'Of course I do. I live in your mind, remember?'** r_etorted the Fox._ **'We both know that your future will lead you to the battlefield sooner or later. And if your gut feeling is anything to go by, it might be sooner.'**_

_'If this is what it takes to keep my home and my jinchūriki brethren safe... then I'll gladly march into combat.'_ thought Naruto resolutely.

_**'And, in the end, we will crush Madara.'**_ Kurama added.

_'Yes.'_ despite himself and his old vows, Naruto could't help the thirst for revenge to grow stronger in his heart. _'We will.'_

* * *

**Omake: Fifty Shades of Substitution**

Kakashi was panicking. He was about to have his rear violated by his student's fingers. Frantikaly searching for something to substitute with, his eyes caught a flash of lavender and, without thinking, pumped as much chakra as he could in the technique.

Naruto felt the surge of energy, and guessed that his sensei had managed to escape. However, he couldn't stop his move, but at least managed to refrain his strength and cut out the wind chakra around his fingers.

But, instead of something hard like a log or a rock, his fingers collided with something soft, and very warm. And whatever it was, it moaned. Loudly.

_'Wait, moaned?'_

Naruto first noticed the blue pants. Then the white and lavender jacket. Then the midnight coloured hair.

Then, where his fingers were exactly.

He froze.

So did Hinata.

Silence fell on training ground seven, nobody really knowing how to react to that. Kakashi had the decency to look sheepish, though like a lot of people (read, the totality of Konoha's population, except a certain blond), knew of Hinata's crush on Naruto. It was his fortunate way of playing matchmaker. Or at least, that was what he told himself.

The only person who spoke up was Jiraiya. He was also the only one to clap. And to whistle. "Atta boy! That's my godson!"

Tsunade threw an accusing glare at Kakashi, who did not seemed to care. He had a brand new book to read.

Neji's Byakugan activated, and if not for Lee restraining him, it was doubtful that Kushina would have ever gotten the grandkids she wanted so much.

The younger kunoichi were conflicted. They wanted to be angry at Naruto, but it was Kakashi who had substituted himself with Hinata.

On the other hand, that moan had been pretty damn loud.

The two teens who were caught in the embarassing situation did not really know how to react themselves. Hinata, for the first time in her life, actually wanted to faint, just to escape this situation. One could wonder if what was bothering her the most was the fact that Naruto's fingers had inadvertently invited themselves in a quite private area, or that the two of them were not alone while those fingers were there.

Naruto, even though he was a pervert, was mortified. He feared that Hinata, after she showed her support to him, would hate him because of this accident. Nonetheless, he was a pervert, and could not help but secretly enjoy the current situation.

From their respective position, they could not see that the both were nose-bleeding.

It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

* * *

**This is the longest chapter as of yet. Hopefully it'll be enough to make up for the delay.  
**

**I would really like to hear your honest opinion on the fight. It was pretty hard to write, and I want to improve.**

**Now, as I said, I started a poll on my profile page. I already mentioned that I have this story planned out to a certain extent. Well, I extended further. A lot of things are planned, and I am pretty excited to get to some particular scenes.**

**However, there are some things that I really can't decide whether to do or not. Among those things, the minor pairings. And thus, I thought that I could ask my silky smooth readers' opinion. And I opted for a poll.**

**So, tell me, do you want Kakashi to be paired up? Note that I am not asking with WHO. I already have someone in mind. Nope, not telling who. I'll only tell you that it's a woman. Sorry, yaoi fans.**

**That's it, I hope you enjoyed your review, please read!**


	7. The Sword of the Harvester

**Aye siwmae, and good day (or night) to you. It has taken me a while, but I updated! Umbasa! **

**Sorry for being late, but, as the exams approach, the workload increases. That's how it is. I certainly wasn't playing Bloodborne like a junkie in need of a fix for the past two weeks after I snapped and bought a PS4. Nope. Not at all. And it has nothing to do with the release of Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin. No sir.  
**

**It seems that the end of the previous chapter's omake wasn't liked at all. And you were right, it was bad. I edited it, no more female-beating cliché.**

**Thanks to all of you who participated in the poll. Seeing the rather large majority wanting Kakashi to be paired up, I do not think that keeping it open would change anything. Therefore, it's closed now.  
**

**Before we begin with the chapter, I would like to address an issue that has been brought up in several reviews, concerning Minato's decision to seal Kurama inside Naruto. The reviewers in question expressed their displeasure at how I basicaly pictured Minato choosing duty over family.  
**

**First off, he did the same in cannon, I am not inventing anyting.**

**Secondly, just think about what could have happened if Minato did not seal the ****Kyūbi inside of Naruto: **

**Minato still dies, as he summoned the God of Death to seal Yin-Kurama inside of him. And then, what happens?  
**

**\- Kushina dies, dragging Yang-Kurama along with her. Several years later, Yang-Kurama reforms somewhere, and Obito can capture him whenever he wants. The world is screwed.**

**\- Kushina dies, but can't keep Yang-Kurama under her control. He is free, and fucks Konoha over. Obito then comes back, and captures him. The world is screwed.**

**So, yeah. It might not have been the perfect solution, but it was the only solution. I'm sorry if this little rant sounds a bit salty.**

**Alright, I kept you long enough. Story time!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but it does not matter. It is not what I need. What I need, is more eyes. Eyes on the inside. You're in the know, right?**

* * *

The Yakiniku Q was one of the most popular and prosperous restaurant of Konoha, due to being a favourite of the Akimichi clan, and for its salted beef tongue, a very appreciated dish all around Fire Country. It was quite rare for somebody to enter the place and not hear the happy chatter of the clients, the clatter of the chopsticks and the hissing sound of the meat being grilled on the brazier built in the center of every tables.

The sounds of a meal shared between friends were particularly loud on this particular day, as the Konoha Eleven, their sensei and Jiraiya had chosen the Yakiniku Q to celebrate the return of Naruto, and his and Sakura's fresh victory over Kakashi during the Bell Test.

The blond in question was busier telling his friends about what he had seen and done during his training trip with the Toad Sage than keeping an eye on his slices of pork grilling on the brazier, something that Chōji was more than happy to do in his place.

"… and I ended up burning a whole forest down while testing that combination technique with my clones for the first time."

"You may have grew up in size and, perhaps, in mind, but you are still as reckless as before." remarked Neji in a scolding tone, even though he could not help but smile amusingly.

"Yeah, trust Naruto to destroy everything around him, when he only wanted to experiment." said Tenten.

Asuma, who had been listening closely to the blond, chuckled, letting small clouds of smoke escape his lips and joining the trail left by his cigarette, "It's too bad I don't have the chakra pool necessary to perform the Shadow Clone Technique as you do, Naruto. I, too, have both wind and fire as my affinities, and I can't combine the two as precisely as you do. It's pretty damn impressive."

"Of course he is impressive," said Kakashi, looking up from his brand new novel, and ruffling Naruto's hair proudly, "he is my cute little genin after all."

The blond jinchūriki rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarrased, "Well, I'm not the only, so is Sakura-chan, sensei!"

The silver-haired jōnin pretended to wipe fake tears away from his lone visible eye, "Oh, but she is not my cute little genin anymore. She is an all grown-up chūnin, now."

"Really? So Hinata is not the only one who got promoted? Who else is a chūnin now?"

The Konoha Eleven, minus Naruto, started looking between one another, before Sakura decided to answer, "Well... everybody except you, Naruto."

The blond Uzumaki blinked twice, before opening his mouth, then closed it, and blinked again. He looked at each of his comrades' faces.

"Seriously? You're all chūnins now?"

"Actually, I am a jōnin." pointed Neji out.

A younger Naruto would have bellowed out either his disbelief or his outrage at being the only one to still be a genin. Instead, he smiled brightly and congratulated them, "That's awesome! You all really became good while I was gone!"

"I expected you to be more troublesome than that about it, Naruto." grumbled Shikamaru. The Nara, while happy that his blond friend's hot head had cooled quite a bit, was also a bit upset that all of his previous datas on Naruto's behaviour were now obsolete. As a tactician, knowing your allies' strengths, weaknesses, but also temperament was essential. And after today, he expected to have to revise a lot of what he knew about the Uzumaki.

"Throwing a fit about it won't change my rank." answered Naruto, "I'll get a promotion soon enough. It's not like I'll stay a genin until I'm nineteen or something! That would be lame."

"Yeah, yeah, enough about jutsus and promotions!" hollered Kiba. Though the Inuzuka was not one to pass out on a technique of mass destruction like the one Naruto came up with by using his clones to combine Wind and Fire, he still prefered more action-packed stories. "Don't you have an anecdote about you beating missing-nins or criminals or something? I wanna now how you hold yourself up in a real combat situation!"

The jinchūriki's smile dropped. He and Jiraiya did not come across many people during their trip, mostly staying in the wilderness to prevent collateral damage during their most heated training sessions and to avoid unwanted attention, and only venturing into towns to buy food or other supplies. Their only notable encounters were with the rōnin Tatewaki and...

The Iwa nins.

The memory alone was enough to make his blood boil. He had come to terms with how he had dealt with them, thanks to Jiraiya, but what _they_ had done, what he had witnessed... That was something he would neither forgive or forget. Naruto could not prevent himself from emitting a brief burst of killing intent, making the air around him freeze and the wind leave the lungs of the persons sitted directly next to him for a second. The most observants of the Konoha Eleven could have sworn that the blond's pupil had briefly turned into slits.

Taking a deep breath in order to calm himself, Naruto tried to smile again, but it was clear that it was somewhat forced, "Sorry about that... it's just that... it's not really a good memory... or a good story to tell in this occasion."

"Heh... my bad." mumbled Kiba sheepishly.

"Hey, it's okay, you couldn't know. But honestly, we did not encounter any missing nins. We mostly trained and went at it against each other."

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Naruto started to tell his comrades about some his spars against the Toad Sage, which often ended up with him collapsing on the ground completely exhausted.

Kakashi, instead of listening to his pupils, leaned towards Jiraiya, and spoke lowly so that he would not be heard, "Seeing his reaction, I can only guess that whatever he was reminded of was not exactly pleasant... did he kill someone?"

The Sannin briefly glanced at Naruto, and was relieved to see that his short angry episode seemed to have passed, before answering, "Yes, he did. Rapists, from Iwa, that we caught in the act, agressing a girl in an inn of the Land of Mountains."

The Copy Ninja's visible eye widened. He could understand why his sensei's son had seemed so furious for a second, and he was saddened that he had to witness the ugliest face of the ninja life so soon.

"After that... whenever we spared, I could see that the gaki was getting more ruthless." continued Jiraiya, "It seems that he had an epiphany of sort. He is still the same kind-hearted guy that he was before but... if it comes down too the safety of his precious people, Naruto will not hesitate. He'll go for the kill."

"Could it be possible that the Fox is influencing him?" asked Kakashi.

"No, I don't think so. From what he told me, the gaki and the Kyūbi do not talk that much, unless they are training or in exceptional situations. Their relationship seems rather tense, but they are not battling for control. Naruto even tried to befriend the Fox, but he doesn't want to hear any of it, apparently."

"Even when Naruto uses his chakra?"

Jiraiya took a moment before answering, keepig his eyes on his godson. "Kyūbi is a being entirely constituted of chakra, from his bones to his fur. When Naruto calls upon his power, it is a piece of the Fox that he draws inside of him. And as such, with his chakra comes his will and his emotions. Or at least, that's what the gaki explained to me. But the Kyūbi never tried to take advantage of his bloodlust or his anger to seize control of Naruto's body."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. He had felt the killing intent coming from Naruto as he was using his bijū's chakra during their fight, and he had noticed that a few of his hits had been aimed way closer to his vitals than what one could expect in a spar.

"Don't worry, Kakashi. Naruto does not use his chakra cloak very often." the Sage reasurred him, "For all its benefits, it has several drawbacks. It severely reduces his insight, due to the Fox's rage and hatred, and also leaves him exhausted when he dissipates it. The chakra cloak takes a severe toll on his body, and the gaki doesn't like to rely too much on it. He is still determinated to grow stronger wiht his own strength."

The Copy Ninja was relieved. He had felt the power of the Kyūbi, both in person the night the Yondaime had died, and through Naruto when the demon's chakra had leaked through the seal, and he had been slighlty worried that the blond would take the easy way and rely on the bijū for everything. He had faith in is sensei's son, of course, but Team Seven was the first team he ever passed, and already one of his students had fallen into darkness. He did not want the Yondaime's heir to follow the same path and become a slave of his inner demon.

The rest of the lunch passed quickly, among the humourous anecdotes of Naruto and the laughs and smiles of the other ninja.

Team Ten was the first to leave, as Ino had to work at her clan's flower shop, Shikamaru had to meet up with Temari, Gaara's sister who, as Naruto just learned, was elected as Kazekage last year, to prepare the upcoming Chūnin Exams, and Chōji had clan matters to discuss with his father.

Team Eight left soon after, as they had to prepare for a short escort mission to the capital of the Land of Fire, but not before Kiba demanded a spar with Naruto when they came back, demand that was completely ignored by the Uzumaki as he was thanking Hinata again for the flowers she gave him yesterday to decorate Kushina's grave, her support after his revelation, and the buns she offered him after the Bell Test.

Team Nine was the last one to depart, as Tenten and Neji had to pry off a Lee dead-set on fighting Naruto right here and now. He only let himself dragged away by his teammates when the blond promised him an all-out fight whenever the two of them had some free time. Gai was already pestering Kakashi about it, considering the upcoming fight as another way to confront his Eternal Rival.

Sakura, who was not a stamina-freak like Naruto, was still feeling a bit tired after their test, and decided to go back to her house to take a hot bath and a long nap. Kakashi had told them that they would resume their duties as Team Seven tomorrow, and the pink-haired girl decided to take the rest of the day to relax.

Which left Naruto alone with his two perverted sensei, who were in a deep conversation about the latest issue of Icha Icha. The jinchūriki was half-tempted to join them, but he remembered that there was something he had wanted to do for quite some time now, and now was the perfect opportunity to do it, particularly after what he had found this morning.

Saying his goodbies to the two man, who were to him closer to an uncle and a grandfather than teachers, Naruto made his way back to Jiraiya's appartment, and quickly found what he was looking for.

His mother's sword was right where he had left it this morning, on the ground of the kitchen. Kicking himself mentally for not taking better care of a family heirloom, Naruto took a hold of it, again surprised by the weight of the nodachi.

He had been surprised by how much he liked kenjutsu. Ever since his encounter with Zabuza, Naruto had flirted with the idea of getting a sword. The former Swordsman of the Mist had been a sight to behold, wielding his enormous blade with ease, defeating the blond's Shadow Clones with little effort by simply swinging it. And when he had learned that many of the Uzumaki clan ninja had been kenjutsu users, that's all he had needed to take a decision. His lucky star had been extra-generous when he and Jiraiya had met Tatewaki during their travels.

Under the samurai's tutelage, Naruto had discovered that the art of sword was strangely relaxing. Jiraiya had taught him how to meditate, but for an hyperactive teen such as himself, staying still for long periods of time was difficult. However, sparring against Tatewaki had proven to be an excellent way to clear his mind.

His sword lessons had been short, but he kept practicing the basic moves that the rōnin had taught him.

Naruto was pretty sure, however, that he wouldn't be able to perform them with his mother's sword. It was way longer and heavier than the one Tatewaki had lend to him.

_'The scrolls.'_ he reminded himself. The nodachi was not the only thing his mother had left him. From what Jiraiya had told him, Kushina had been a reknown swordswoman. There was a chance that she had a scroll on kenjutsu in her possession.

Shuffling through the pile, he noticed that each one had a kanji inscribed on its surface, informing him of their content. They were labelled as 'Wind', 'Water', 'Seal', 'Life', the one he was looking for 'Sword', and, finally, 'Forbidden'.

This last one intrigued Naruto. Not only because of its designation, but also because its surface was lattered with seals. Upon closer inspection, he came to the conclusion that this sealing matrix was acting as a lock, but he couldn't figure out how to open it. Most seals like this one either had a key, or needed a specific formula. Some others required blood. Obviously not having or knowing the two previous ones, Naruto decided that he would go for the third. If this was his mother's scroll, his blood would certainly work.

As he was about to slice his thumb, he felt a hand grab his shoulder.

"So, that's where you went, gaki."

Looking behind him, Naruto was annoyed to see that Jiraiya was standing there, and that once again, he did not sense him approaching. It was not the first time that his godfather had sneaked up on him.

The Toad Sage, seeing his godson sword in hand, had assumed that Naruto was looking for Kushina's kenjutsu scroll, before he noticed that his interest was elsewhere. Jiraiya's eyes hardened for a split second when they fell on the scroll bearing the kanji for 'Forbidden', before they turned back to Naruto.

"Oh, you were going to train?" he asked, trying to pry the blond's attention away from were it was a moment before.

"Yeah, I wanted to try Mom's sword, and then I found-"

"Well, you could have said so when you left, I can help you!"

The jinchūriki frowned, "How? You don't know anything about kenjutsu, last time I checked."

The Sannin huffed in mock indignation. "You brat. I do know some things about swords. _This _sword, in particular. I saw your mother practice with it, I could give you a few pointers."

"Really? Then how come you never helped me after Tatewaki left?" Naruto asked, not happy to learn that his godfather did not share his knowledge on his mother's techniques.

"I couldn't help you with what Tatewaki taught you, because I am unfamiliar with the samurai fighting style. It is different from the Uzumaki's Dance of the Maelstrom that Kushina used. And trying to teach it to you on my own would be a waste of time. With that scroll, however, I might be able to help you."

His mood shifting instantly, Naruto's face brightened. "Sweet! I always wanted to see how Mom fought after all the stories you told me about her!"

Though not as reknown as her husband, the Yellow Flash, the Red Hot Habanero had still gained her fair share of fame during the Third Shinobi War. Her skill with a sword, her sealing techniques and her chakra chains had been feared greatly, particularly in Kumo, against who Kushina held a deep-seated resentment, due to her failed kidnapping and the role of the Hidden Cloud Village in the fall of Uzushio. Her fights against Kumo's assault teams still birthed enough stories to keep the fear of the Uzumaki clan fresh in the Cloud shinobi's minds.

"The Dance of the Maelstrom is a powerful style, but be warned that it is hard to learn. I am no expert, but I can safely say that what you did with Tatewaki was child's play compared to how your mother practiced. You'll need months, if not years of intense training to even come close to her level." said Jiraiya.

The blond raised an eyebrow, "Is that a challenge, Ero-Sennin? You know better than anyone that I am the number one unpredictable ninja! I did manage to add my element to the Rasengan, after all!"

The white-haired ninja's mouth turned into a smirk, "I know you're good, gaki. I am your master, after all! But still, the Uzumaki's training regimen are on another level, they worked themselves to the bone. You are very well placed to know that an Uzumaki doesn't tire easily."

"I feel insulted, Ero-Sennin. You already put me through hell during the last few years, what could be worse? Plus, this is a part of my heritage! I'll make Mom proud, you'll see!" retorted the blond.

_'I'm sure she already is'_ thought the Sage, feeling the now familiar pang of sadness greeping at his heart, knowing that Kushina would never get the chance to pass her clan's technique to her son, "Then you have a lot of work, gaki. I'll bet my brand new swimsuit magazine that, before the day is over, you'll be complaining about how hard the Dance is to learn!"

"You're on, old man!" proclaimed Naruto, "But you can keep your magazine, it doesn't interest me!"

"Good. You wouldn't know how to truly appreciate its wonders, as opposed to a true connaisseur like myself." claimed the Toad Sage, in a condescending tone, as if he was talking to an uneducated brat, before walking towards the door.

"Don't fill my mind with weird images, Ero-Sennin." retorted a disgusted Naruto, who did not want to think how his godfather would 'appreciate' his dear magazine, "And I already told you... Bunny girls are way sexier than bikini models!"

* * *

"Damn, it's so hard!"

_'Called it.'_

Jiraiya lifted his eyes up from the picture of a curvaceous brunette wearing a skimpy swimsuit and posing in an extremely suggestive manner, to observe the lack of progress of his apprentice.

Just as he expected, Naruto was completely red in the face, both from exhaustion and anger, and was dragging his nodachi unceremeniously on the ground, too frustrated to hold it with a correct grip.

Reluctantly, the blond had to agree with Jiraiya: the Dance of the Maelstrom was definitely not easy. With a huff, he let himself drop on the ground, next to a group of twelve Shadow Clones working on a very particuliar seal. Deciding to start everything back from the beginning, Naruto took out his mother's scroll from his coat pocket, opened it, and began to read.

As Jiraiya said, the Dance of the Maelstrom and the style he learned from Tatewaki were really different. It was expected, as shinobi and samurai fought differently, even though the Uzumaki clan's way of fighting had similarities to that of the warriors of the Land of Iron. The shinobi of Whirlpool had been feared as frontline fighters, able to hold a position againt larger forces with their fearsome fūinjutsu and ability to cast strong techniques one after the other thanks to their infamous stamina.

Their kenjutsu style was a reflection of this. The Dance of the Whirlpool was aimed at dispatching several enemies simultaneously, and as such was focused on large horizontal attacks with a long bladed weapon, such as a nodachi, nagamaki or naginata, to keep the practicioner's opponents at bay and keeping the momentum of the battle in his favor. The wide strikes, however, left easily exploitable holes in the guard, requiring the user to be on the move constantly, maneuvering between enemies at a frightening pace. The use of a long and heavy weapon also meant that the Dance of the Whirlpool was not suitable for close range fighting, and a foe wielding a shorter blade, or even a taijutsu user would be at an advantage.

Fortunately, Naruto had grown fast during the last two years. Increasing his speed not only had made the life expectancy of his Shadow Clons that much longer, it also enhanced the efficiency of his taijutsu but first and foremost the deadliness of his Rasengan. The second signature technique of the Yellow Flash had been created to fit Minato's style of fighting, which was purely based on his nearly inhuman speed, dexterity and reflexes, and his mastery of the Flying Thunder God. Through a lot of effort and of headaches after dissipating hundreds of Shadow Clones, Naruto had finally managed to reach his father's level of execution, and could create a perfect Rasengan with one hand while being on the move.

However, keeping his speed and balance while wielding a nodachi was harder than he thought. He could wield it easily enough, but the weight of the blade was dragging him each time he swinged it, something that he was not used to with a shorter sword. That was what was giving so much trouble at the moment/

But there was more to the Dance of the Maelstrom than this. One obvious particularity of the Uzumaki swordsmen was the fact that they did not use sheath to carry their blade. Due to the length of the swords they used, a sheath would have been a bother, and rendered impossible the practice of iaijutsu. Being masters of fūinjutsu, nobody could blame them for carrying their weapons in storage seals. But the seals used to carry swords were particular, and the twelve Shadow Clones he had created earlier were busy trying to understand and recreate it.

In all intent and purpose, it was just a storage seal. It stored things. What made it unique was the fact that, contrary to the regular one, which had only one entry and exit way from the pocket dimensions it led to, this one had two. The ambidexter seal, as the Uzumaki had dubbed it, was actually composed of two matrix, that were placed in the fabric of gloves or gauntlet, allowing the user to make his weapon appear in either hand, or even switch in the middle of a fight to catch an opponent off guard or to block an upcoming attack from the side.

The storage seal was one of the easiest to learn and create, however the ambidexter was another matter. The two ways in and out made the pocket dimension inside it way less stable than in a classic storage seal. A sloppy simple one, worst case scenario, would simply just not work at all, or would only be able to hold very little content. A badly made ambidexter seal could blow up in someone's face or collapse and destroy the stored item within the pocket dimension.

Taking a glance at his clones, Naruto was pleased to see them focused on their task. Fūinjutsu was one of the areas he had shown surprising ingenuity in, and he was confident that he would have the ambidexter seal down quickly. He was proud and happy to be talented in the sealing arts. It was a testimony of his appartenance to the Uzumaki clan, and a proof that he was the son of Namikaze Minato, who was reknown as a seal master. Fūinjutsu was a family tradition. And that made it all the more important to learn for the blond jinchūriki.

But the ambidexter seal wouldn't do him any good if he sucked with his sword.

If Naruto lacked one thing, besides a healthy diet, it was patience. Despite Jiraiya telling him about the differences between the samurai and Uzumaki kenjutsu styles, Naruto had jumped right into practicing the forms, without taking a moment to look at the warming exercises or the methods to carry a long sword.

It would be hard and tedious, but that was not nearly enough to deter him from training. No, his eagerness to learn his clan's fighting style was due to his lack of time. Even with the help of his Shadow Clones, he was not sure that he would be able to master the Dance of the Maelstrom in time for his upcoming encounter with the Akatsuki.

Two and half years have passed since he had last heard of them. Whatever they needed to do before starting their hunt for the bijū once again, they certainly had completed it, and sooner or latter, they would be after him. Every single technique Naruto could learn before an eventual fight against the criminal organisation could possible make the difference between life and death.

Rushing his training wouldn't do him any good, however. The blond knew that, but between his desire to reach his mother's and ancestor's level, and his need to grow stronger, it was hard for him to take his time. Team Seven would be back in business tomorrow, and his training time would be cut short. He also had to improve his fūinjutsu, but fortunately his clones proved to be effective in this domain, even though the more complex seals could give him one heck of a headache when the clones that worked on it dispelled at the same time.

After having memorized the exercises he needed to do in order to improve his balance, Naruto went to grab his sword, but as he raised it from the ground, he noticed a peculiar thing that he had missed the first time he had taken a close look at the blade, but was now clearly apparent in the sunlight. He almost thought he imagined it at first, but as he squinted his eyes and took a closer at the blade, Naruto was amazed to see that the undulating design carved into the dark steel was actually a long stretched out matrix of small and delicate kanji.

A seal. And an incredibly intricated one.

"Hey, Ero-Sennin!"

Jiraiya raised his head again, wipping the drool and the blood coming out of his mouth and nose after admiring the picture of a busty green-haired woman clad only in a yellow bikini, and immediately knew what his godson wanted to ask him, as the blond was still looking at his nodachi, following the seal running along the blade with his finger.

"Oh, so you finally noticed the Makoto's little particularity, have you? Took you long enough."

"The Makoto? That's how that sword's named?" asked Naruto.

"Yep. It is pretty commo for great swordsmen to name their weapon, particularly when they have special powers or properties, like this one has." confirmed Jiraiya.

This statement made Naruto perk up. "Wait, Mom was really _that_ strong in kenjutsu?"

The Sannin shook his head. "She was pretty good, but I doubt that she could be considered the equal of a Swordsman of the Mist, and certainly not of the original owner of this blade."

"Then who was it?"

For a brief moment, Jiraiya looked hesitant to answer, though Naruto couldn't figure out why. This sword was a sort of heirloom, and the complexity of the seal engraved in its metal along with the black swirling design on the handle pretty much confirmed that it was an Uzumaki creation. As one, if not maybe the last representative of the former leading clan of Uzu, he had a right to know.

The moment passed, however, though Jiraiya's expression was oddly serious. "This sword belonged to one of the most powerful shinobi who was ever born among the Uzumaki clan, Uzumaki Satsuki. He was one of the best kenjutsu user to ever live. Even today, in Kumo and Kiri, there are old tales running about him, on how he collected the lives of his enemies as methodically as a farmer harvest the rice from his field, and many knew, and still know him as the Harvester of Whirlpool."

Though he did knew that his clan was awesome, Naruto still felt excited to be related to such a powerful and fearsome shinobi. And he had a super nickname to boot. "Man, he must have been so strong! And he had a super title too, like Mom and Dad! He must have been as cool as they were!"

Jiraiya's expression did not change. If anything, it turned grimmer. "I wouldn't call him cool, but... he was an interesting character, if the rumors are true."

"Well, still, he had to be awesome, since he was an Uzumaki." stated Naruto, as if it was a fundamental rule of the universe.

Ramen is the food of the gods, Uzumaki were awesome, bunny girls were the sexiest. It was the truth.

"But, as great as I'm sure that Satsuki guy was, it doesn't tell me what his sword does. A seal like this ought to be really powerful, right?" asked the blond, returning to the subject he was interested in in the first place.

And, once again, what looked, and feeled like apprehension, as Naruto managed to detect with Kurama's ability, flashed through the Sage's face, though it passed so quickly that the jinchūriki wasn't sure that he even saw or felt it.

But he was right. Jiraiya was indeed weighing the pros and cons of his eventual answer. _'Telling him about Satsuki wasn't too bad. There is no way that Naruto could learn about _that _without me or Tsunade directly revealing it to him. We will have to, one day, if the situation grows dire, but right __now he shouldn't need it. The Makoto, however... no, I need to have faith in him. I need to stop thinking of him as a naive child. He still has his moments, but he grew up well.'_

Coming to a decision, the Toad Sage entered what his blond apprentice had dubbed his 'lecture mode'. Jiraiya only ever used it during the lessons on fūinjutsu, when Naruto had asked him about senjutsu, or when he had explained how to guess the measurements of a woman with a single glance.

"You are right when you say that this seal is powerful. Actually, in my knowledge, this design is unique, and was created by Satsuki himself, who was also a genius when it came to fūinjutsu. This is what makes the Makoto such a formidable weapon, and one of the reasons why Satsuki was so feared. This seal will react when the blade is coated in blood, and will massively increase its power."

The Uzumaki was now warily staring at his sword. The usage of blood in the ninja art was frequent, fūinjutsu and summoning techniques being prime examples. However, this techniques required the user's blood to function. Jutsu that required the caster to collect blood or other organic material from other persons were very often forbidden and considered as dark in nature. The Edo Tensei was the most well known of those.

Such a technique engraved in the form of a seal on the blade of a sword, very much implied that it belonged to the second category, as it could be easily fueled in the misdt of a battle. If that was not reason enough for Naruto's resentment over the Makoto, it was a well known fact that Orochimaru was an expert when it came to forbidden jutsu, and that he had an unhealthy interest in the human body as a medium for his immortality technique.

And anything related in any shape or form to Orochimaru earned his immediate antipathy.

However, this was still the sword his mother used. The only thing he possessed that rattached him to her. And she had used it, despite its sinister nature.

Despite his now mixed feelings over the Makoto, Naruto could not help but wonder about Jiraiya's explanation, "I don't understand... why would Satsuki need to write such a complicated seal on his weapon to absorb chakra from blood, when all he needed to do was to channel his own in the blade?"

"That's not a bad question gaki," said Jiraiya, "but first, let's partake in a little experiment."

Inviting his godson to follow him, the Toad Sage made his way towards a tree. Naruto was surprised when he saw that this was not just any tree. It was in this very particuliar one that Kakashi had tricked with a trap, during the first Bell Test, after the Copy Ninja had managed to escape from the Uzumaki's clones grasp. It was still, to this day, one his most humiliating moments.

Naruto was impatient to start whatever experiment Jiraiya wanted to conduct on this tree.

"Alright, let's begin." started the Sannin as they stopped right next to the trunk. "Now, channel a bit of wind chakra through the sword, and strike the tree with it. Go easy on it, though."

Doing as instructed, Naruto coated the Makoto's blade with his chakra, and launched a rather light swing at the tree trunk. Even with the lack of strength behind the attack, the sword made it halfway through the wood before meeting enough resistance to stop it.

"Good enough, now slice your thumb and spread some blood on the blade." asked Jiraiya.

Again, Naruto followed the older ninja's instructions.

The difference was immediate, and clear.

When Naruto had send some chakra through the weapon, it glowed a soft blue, like it would have for any sword or kunai that was coated in chakra. Now, however, what looked like dark red, almost black fumes were swirling around the blade menacingly, as if they were an immaterial sheath, and they were making an ominous hissing sound as they shrouded the Makoto. The phenomena almost made Naruto drop the weapon.

"What the hell?! What's happening?!"

Jiraiya only pointed at the tree, "Go ahead, swing."

The blond relaxed, seeing that his master did not seemed worried in the slightest by the dark fumes, and complied.

And, again, the difference was clear. Besides having sloppily hit the trunk previously, Naruto had easily managed to cut through it, despite the growing resistance as the blade sunk deeper and deeper in the wood.

But now, he felt absolutely _nothing_.

It was like cutting through butter with a heated knife. Naruto was barely putting any effort in his attack, and yet the Makoto was cutting - no, shredding the tree like it was not even there. Too stunned by this to see that Jiraiya had backed up, the Uzumaki was brutally shaken out of his stupor when the tree fell, and only did he noticed that he had cut through the trunk like it was a mere piece of paper.

"What... how?" he asked, astounded.

"That, Naruto, was the other reason why the Uzumaki clan was so feared." answered Jiraiya, "You know that they specialized in fūinjutsu, but they also had another particularity..."

"Our life force..."

"Yep, exactly. The Uzumaki were tough people, blessed with incredible vitality. What few people now, is that they succeeded in harnessing their powerful life force to cast or power up techniques and seals. The most powerful of your clan jutsu often costed the user his life." His expression turned sad, "You actually witnessed one such technique, but you are too young to remember."

Naruto knew all too well what his godfater was talking about, "The Dead Demon Consuming Seal."

The Sage nodded grimly. "Yes, that one. Calling the God of Death onto this plane is impossible by using chakra. It does not interest him. You have to give your life and your soul for him to assist you in battle. That is his trade, and whoever used this technique and its victim will be condemned to spend the rest of eternity inside the belly of the God."

Falling back into his lecture mode, Jiraiya continued, "Using life force instead of chakra greatly enhance the power of a jutsu, but it is incredibly hard and dangerous to pull off for everyone but an Uzumaki, as it will shorten one's life span. Your clan, thanks to their vitality, lived longer than normal, and as such the toll of using their life force in battle was lighter. The Uzumaki even considered sacrificing years of their lives to protect those of others as a great honor. Life force, however, does not exactly flows through your body like chakra does. It is an energy that you take away from your own flesh and blood, which is why someone who abuses it will see his body wither away at a rapid pace."

"So, when someone uses blood, like when they want to summon something, they use their life force?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, though such a small portion of it that it would barely affect their longevity. In this case, blood is used because it is a link between the summoner and the summoned creature, a link created when the summoning contract was signed."

The jinchūriki nodded, before remembering a technique that functiuned in a similar way. "And what about Bā-chan's seal? Shizune said something about it shortening her life span."

"Yes, Tsunade's Creation Rebirth does burn through her life, but not because he calls on her life force directly. It uses the chakra stored into the Strength of a Hundred Seal on her forehead to forcefully hasten her body's cells division. I'm no medical expert, but I know that a cell can only divide a certain numder of time in a lifetime. The Creation Rebirth pretty much makes Tsunade invincible, but it shortens her life span."

The blond fell silent for a moment, reflecting over what he had just learned, before staring intently at the Makoto, "So, when I spread my blood on the sword..."

"The seal absorbed the lingering life force flowing through it, and coated the blade with it, unleashing its true power." finished Jiraiya.

Naruto, again, felt divided. His naivety had vanished long ago, when he had been confronted to the harsh reality of the ninja world, and knew that every bit of power he could get would ensure his survival and his ability to protect his precious people. But he still didn't like the idea of using someone's blood to strengthen his sword. It was like stealing their power for himself. And Uzumaki Naruto was not one to rely on another strength than his own. Even using Kurama's chakra was not something he particularly liked, both for this very reason and because of the bloodlust and rage of the Fox he could feel when he channeled his power. And again, using another person's blood reminded him of Orochimaru.

But this was the sword his mother had used, the sword one of his clan's most powerful shinobi had used. It was rightfully his, as the last known Uzumaki. And he doubted that he would ever come across a weapon of this quality ever again.

"I don't really like the concept of this seal, but... Mom wielded the Makoto, and so will I, to protect Konoha." claimed Naruto.

_'He is so much like Kushina...'_ the Sage thought, a bittersweet mixture of happiness and sadness blooming in his chest. The woman he had come to consider as his daughter was dead, but she still lived through her son.

"Oh, Kushina was not really fond of the idea of using someone else's blood in battle either, if it's any consolation to you." Jiraiya said, "She used her own blood to power up the Makoto, taking advantage of the advanced healing factor her jinchūriki status granted her. It was one of the reasons the Kumo-nin feared her during the war. An angry redhead stabbing herself and then rushing at you is pretty terrifying."

Naruto had a hard time believing that his mother could induce fear in anybody's heart, but, sadly, he had only met her once, in his mindscape. A memory he cherished, as the first time he had ever felt truly loved, and safe. In his mind, Uzumaki Kushina was the perfect image of a caring mother, and imagining her soft and warm hands holding a sword, and one coated in her own blood at that, was completely alien. He still believed Jiraiya, but the Sage's words barely helped comforting him in his decision. If anything, they made him uneasy.

Nevertheless, he had made his mind.

"Thanks for explaining all of that to me, Ero-Sennin. However, it won't do me any good to have a super strong sword if I can't use it correctly." Naruto tried to joke, but it did not fooled Jiraiya. Kushina was a sensitive subject for the blond.

The Sage ruffled his godson's hair in an attempt to cheer him up, "Don't overwork yourself. Even if you don't have the Dance of the Maelstrom mastered for the time you will face the Akatsuki, you are still far from being unprepared. You worked your ass off during the last two and a half years, you deserve a break. Going on missions with your friends will do you some good."

The gesture brought a smile to the blond's face, "Yeah, you're right, but still, I'd like to have it done as soon as possible. Even if starting to work again with Team Seven is awesome, it won't leave me much time to train. I need to get everything I can from today's session."

Jiraiya sighed, knowing very well that, whatever he said, Naruto would practice until he fainted from exhaustion. The famous Uzumaki stubborness.

"Suit yourself, gaki. When you'll need me to carry your sorry ass back home, or for anything else, I'll be over there finishing my magazine."

But Naruto was already too busy creating Shadow Clones for him to train against to listen to him. Observing his godson so caught up in his practice of the sword reminded him of a time when it was not a blond boy, but a red-haired girl who was hell-bent on working herself to the bone, despite the advice of her elders.

But that time had passed, and it wouldn't do him any good to linger on it. Fortunately, Jiraiya had just the thing he needed to distract himself from his nostalgia, and that thing was still laying in the grass where he had left it, still open on the page of the green-haired beauty. The Sage's wistful smile turned lascivious as he went to pick it up.

"Now, where were we, my dear..."

* * *

As it turns out, Jiraiya was right, and Naruto did indeed practiced his kenjutsu until he collapsed. It was a testimony of his endurance that it had took him eight hours of intense workout and sparring against clones to exhaust him. Fortunately for him, his Uzumaki vitality and the Fox sealed in his gut granted him great recuperative powers, though he still ended up oversleeping a little and woke up with an annoying lingering pain in his limbs.

Which is why he was currently being scolded by his pink-haired teammate.

"Even with your stamina, training as hard as you did is not a particularly good idea, Naruto!"

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I was just feeling a bit stiff! I'm fine now, thanks to you!"

"I hope you won't be as reckless during our upcoming missions! I might be too busy to patch you up!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know how to differentiate training and missions, ya know."

As captivated as he was by his new book, Kakashi was still listening to his two students' conversation, and smiled under his mask as he did so. He had missed those kind of moments.

The three remaining members of Team Seven were making their way to the Hokage's tower, where they would receive their first mission in two and a half years. The main street of Konoha was calm, as the day was still too young for a majority of the civilian population to be up to their daily business, though the closer they got to the tower, the more shinobi starting their morning duties they would cross.

As they entered the building, Naruto's excitation at starting to work as a shinobi again after so long was increasingly overshadowed by a sense of foreboding. He had felt something similar the day before, after the bell test, but that feeling was much stronger than before. Wary, he focused on his Negative Emotion Sensing, but could not find anything alarming. A few traces of sadness and anger, nothing out of the ordinary. Taking a brief look out of a window as they approached the Mission Delivery Room, nothing striked him as strange or out of place, apart maybe from a fast approaching messenger hawk.

He stopped his inquiry when they finally arrived at their destination, but decided to keep his sensory ability in alert.

"Ah, Team Seven, or should I say Team Kakashi now, you are here... and you are only one hour and a half late!" greeted Tsunade, glaring at the Copy Ninja as they entered. She had grown accustomed to his antics and tolerated them, knowing that it was one of his coping mechanics, but it did not mean that she had to like it.

"Sorry for our lateness, Tsunade-sama." Sakura apologized, bowing towards her master.

Tsunade waved her hand dismissively, "Meh. I'm used to Kakashi's ways by now. And it's not like there is any important mission available, anyway. The only thing that might make you three break a sweat is helping a company of merchant clear a landslide..."

It was at this point that Naruto stopped listening to Tsunade. It was not because the details of the mission were boring (they were), but a sudden spike of panic immediately caught his whole attention. He did not know what had caused it, but whoever was panicking was running straight towards the very room he stood in. Fast.

He was so focused on his Negative Emotion Sensing that he barely dodged Sakura's punch.

"Stop daydreaming, and listen to Tsunade-sama, Naruto!"

The blond did not acknowledge his teammate, staring at the door instead, expecting it to be opened without warning any second now.

"Naruto! I know this might not be the kind of mission you expected, but this is all we have! So I expect you to be somewhat attentive during the briefing!" yelled Tsunade, slamming her hand on her desk to get his attention.

And that she did, but instead of the fearful, annoyed, or cheeky reaction she expected from him, Naruto instead looked straight into her eyes, with the most serious expression she ever saw on his face, "Something's wrong, Bā-chan."

As the Godaime was about to open her mouth, the door flew open, startling all the occupants of the room but the Uzumaki, whose attention instantly shifted towards the new arrivant, a brown-haired woman, wearing the uniform of the Code Team.

"Hokage-sama! It's... bad! Really bad!"

"What is it? What's with all the commotion?" asked Tsunade, regaining her composure in a flash.

The kunoichi took a moment to regain her breath. It was obvious that she had been in a rush to find the Hokage as soon as whatever message had caused her to be in such turmoil had been decoded.

And Naruto, just before the woman answered the Slug Sannin, was again hit by the same sense of foreboding, this time accompanied by a wave of cold terror.

"It's... it's the Kazekage! Suna's Kazekage has been defeated and taken by the Akatsuki!"

* * *

**Omake: Misunderstanding**

Naruto was sweating profusedly, his shirt, jacket and coat long discarded on the ground, as he dispatched the last clone of the bunch he had summoned earlier. He was starting to get used to the weight of the Makoto in his hand, but he still needed to work on his stance, as his balance was still off, due to the nodachi.

He was about to summon another group of Shadow Clones, when he sensed a presence behind him. Turning around, he was surprised to see Tenten standing, an odd glint in her eyes, staring at the Makoto.

"You have a sword." she stated, her voice strangely empty. It was wierding the blond out.

"Huh... yes?"

"I like swords."

"Oh... that's cool I guess-"

"Can I hold your sword?" the weapon mistress asked, cutting him off, and raising her arm to take a hold of the Makoto as if he had already accepted.

The fact that it sounded more like a demand than a question (and that Naruto was not too keen on the idea of letting someone hold his mother's weapon) did not sit well with the Uzumaki.

"Sorry, but no."

Tenten's arm fell. The glint in her eyes became more unsetlling.

"But I want to hold your sword."

"Well, sorry, but I'm in the middle of-"

He was interrupted again, and if Tenten wasn't scaring him before, now she was.

"LEMME HOLD IT!"

* * *

Hinata was making her way towards the gate, where her team and the noble they had been assigned to escort were waiting. Team Eight had been supposed to leave the day before, but as it turned out, their client hadn't felt well enough to travel, and asked for a delay.

As she was nearing the gates, she heard two familiar voices coming frm a nearby street.

"Tenten, you're crazy!"

"Come on, Naruto, it's so long, and it looks so nice, let me hold it!"

"Again, no! This is like a family jewel! You can't have it!"

"Please! And you need a sheath to go with such a piece of art! Let me give you mine! Pretty please?"

Hinata had heard enough. She did not know what had gotten into her cousin's teammate head, but she wasn't about to let her take advantage of the boy she loved. Not taking the time to activate her Byakugan, the bluenette dashed towards the origin of the voices, and, finally finding Naruto and Tenten, immediately fell into a flawless Gentle Fist stance.

"I am sorry Tenten-san, but I cannot let you assault Naruto-kun like that! You may be my friend, but I swore to myself that Naruto-kun would be mine, and mine alone! Back off immediately!"

Two incredulous stares made Hinata take a closer look at the scene unfolding before her. A topless Naruto was back against a wall, and a disheveled Tenten was trying to reach and take a hold of his long, thick-

-sword.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Hum... I... I have to... to go on... a... a mission, yes that's it... I'll... Oh, nevermind..."

*thump*

And, after waking up, knowing that there was no use keeping it secret anymore (even though it really wasn't), Hinata confessed her love to Naruto. She was surprised, but very happy when he reciprocated their feelings. After dating for three years, they finally decided to get married. Hinata made sure to thank Tenten profusedly during the wedding, and even though the weapon mistress was very pleased to have made two of her friends happy, she was still not fully satisfied, and kept a somber look during the entirety of the celebration.

"I still didn't get to hold his sword..."

* * *

**What is this, another Demon's Souls reference? Why, yes it is. But the Satsuki of Uzushio and the Satsuki of Boletaria will have nothing in common, except their names. The Makoto, too, is different from its Demon's Souls counterpart, and was intended to be similar to the Bewitched Alonne Sword from Dark Souls 2, even though in the end I made it work like the Chikage from Bloodborne. Oh well, you have to harm yourself to use both weapons anyway.  
**

**Not much happening in this chapter, it was mainly an introduction to my own take on the Uzumaki clan. I will come back to it, as it holds a significant importance in Naruto's development.**

**Also, sorry for the lack of NaruHina. As a punishment, I'll go spend an afternoon with the brain ladies of the Nightmare of Mensis. Those of you who played Bloodborne will understand what I am putting myself through.**

**Hope you enjoyed your read! Don't forget to review, or I'll come at you with my Arcane Rifle Spear, and I'll wreck your sh- (remembers that it was patched just the day before) -oh, nevermind **


	8. Rescue Party

**Yellow.**

**First off, I'm very, VERY sorry that it took me so long to update, but exams happened. And then The Witcher 3. And then the E3. It's a conspiracy, I swear!**

**But I'm in vacation now, until early September, leaving me a lot of time to write! Chapter nine will come out faster than this one, I promise.**

**On an unrelated note, I actually saw The Last! (French dubs, sadly, and if you thought the English ones were bad, you were sorely mistaken) It was a cool movie as a whole and seeing NaruHina becoming cannon was great, but some moments left me... unimpressed. Oh well, I did not expected it to be a classic or something.**

**Now stop, story time.**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto. If I did, I'd give Naruto and Hinata a third child, call him Shinachiku, sit back, grab some popcorn, and watch the Apocalypse unfold on Tumblr.  
**

* * *

The sound of four pair of feet rapidly scurrying through the dunes was the only noise emitted by the small group coming from Konoha. No words were exchanged between the four ninja, two of them too preoccupied about the situation of their brother, in blood for one and in burden of the other, to think about talking: their minds were entirely focused on reaching the village of Suna has fast as possible. The other two, while of course concerned about the Kazekage, tried to keep a cool head, though this proved to be hard for the pink-haired medic, due to the gravity of the situation and the heavy atmosphere surrounding their group.

Temari was obviously distraught, and Sakura could not blame her for that. Ever since Team Seven had caught up to her on her way back to Suna after she and Shikamaru had finished the preparations for the upcoming Chūnin Exams and informed her of Gaara's fate, the Sand kunoichi had barely uttered a word. It was evident that she was struggling to keep a composed expression, but her eyes betrayed her anxiety and fear.

The other blond of their group, on the other hand...

His metamorphosis was even more drastic than during the Bell Test. Gone was the warm sprinkle in his eyes, his warm smile, his warm aura. His gaze was cold and sharp as steel, fixed straight ahead of him, his jaw clenched, his shoulders tense. Sakura had tried to talk to Naruto a few times during their journey to Suna, in order to comfort him, assure him that they would save Gaara, but nothing went through that wall of ice that the Uzumaki had seemingly build between himself and the rest of the world.

This cold exterior was nothing compared to the raging inferno burning inside of him.

Gaara was the closest thing to a brother Naruto had, perhaps even more so than Sasuke. The two of them had been scorned and shunned for the majority of their lives. While Naruto had found people who genuinely cared for him in Iruka, Teuchi, Ayame and the Sandaime Hokage, Gaara had absolutely no one. His father had tried to have him assassinated multiple times, his siblings had been wary of him and the rest of Suna's population had feared him and treated him like a monster.

It was only after Naruto defeated him that Gaara considered the people around him something else than preys, and that he started building, or in the case of his brother and sister, repairing, relationship with other people.

When Naruto had heard about his coronation as Kazekage, he had been happy for him. Maybe a bit jealous, but certainly happy. Gaara had done it. He had changed everyone's opinion of him, and became someone his people could trust and rely on.

And now that Gaara had finally earned his place in the world, the Akatsuki had taken him, conveting the bijū who was the cause of his torment.

It wasn't fair.

Gaara's hardships were done. He had earned his title of Kazekage and the trust of his village. He had atoned for his past crimes by giving himself entirely to Suna, people were seeing past their fear of Shukaku.

But still, he was jinchūriki, and the Akatsuki had no qualms at sacrificing him in order to get closer to their goal, and then throw his corpse away after getting what they wanted from him, like a used tool.

And that made Naruto's blood boil.

It wasn't enough that as jinchūriki, they had to fight in order to get people to acknowledge them as something more than the creatures they hosted; no, they were hunted down by a group of mercenaries, who sought the very same creatures that made their lives so hard in the first place.

Naruto didn't want any of that. He wouldn't just spend the rest of his life looking behind him, searching for any black cloaks decorated with red clouds, waiting for the Akatsuki to catch up to him.

No, he had trained for two and half years to defeat them. It was not his style to lie in wait and ambush his enemy. He liked to take the iniative. He was going to bring the fight to them.

_He_ was going to hunt _them _down.

Naruto could feel the familiar heat of Kurama's chakra sipping in his system, and the rush of power and adrenaline that came with it. Small clouds of sand were erupting beneath his feet, and the air around him was growing heavier.

He needed to calm down, or it would be a matter of minute before he unwillingly entered the first stage of his jinchūriki cloak. Being angry would not help him save Gaara, and he could sense that this brief slip of his emotions had affected his teammates. Sakura and Kakashi were worried about him, though the latter hid it well under his usual laid-back demeanor.

He couldn't allow his anger to get the better of him. Not now. He needed to be focused, to have a clear mind, so he could find Gaara.

Then. Then he was going to give the Akatsuki a reason to fear him.

He took a deep breath. He had to reign in on his temper for now.

Thankfully, he now had something to take his mind off his murderous ploy, after their monotonous trek through the desert. A distant, but nonetheless impressive wall of raw stone finally came into view.

Sunagakure was near.

* * *

_'Damn it.'_

Naruto was growing impatient. He had expected that, as soon as they reached Suna, all they would have to do was to follow the Akatsuki's trail. Maybe gather a few Sand shinobi to accompany them on their punitive expedition.

As it turned out, Kankurō had been injured and poisoned when he tried to stop the S-rank missing nins from taking Gaara away. Thankfully, Sakura had been able to purge the poison out of his body, and was now preparing an antidote.

It was necessary, but it took time.

And if that wasn't enough, Kakashi had been summoned by Suna's Council, presumably to share with them some intel on the Akatsuki.

Which left Naruto alone, to wait for his teammate and sensei to finish their respective task.

And if there was one thing Naruto hated, aside from hospitals and cold ramen, it was waiting.

The only thing that prevented him from breaking something out of frustration was that Kakashi had summoned his ninkens before his meeting with the Council, and ordered them to find a trail out of the scent they got from the piece of cloak Kankurō had been able to retrieve from one of the two member of Akatsuki before falling unconscious. One of the dogs could return at ay given time, and it kept the blond on the look-out.

The fear he could feel coming from all over the village, belonging to civilians and shinobi alike, was cooling him down somewhat too. It was a glaring testimony of Suna's concern for their missing Kazekage.

Thinking about this brought a small smile to his face. He was happy that his friend had successfully reached the heart of his people. Yet a small, dark corner of his mind wondered if he too, would be missed that much if he was to be defeated by the Akatsuki.

He shook his head. Now was not the time to wallow in self-pity. To distract himself, and to kill some time, he decided to observe the village of Suna from a nearby window.

It was the first time he ever set foot in another hidden village, as Jiraiya had been very careful to avoid them during their trip. It was very different from Konoha, and perhaps more worthy of its hidden designation. The buildings were all made of the same sandstone, without the faintest hint of paint covering them. Their shapes were mostly cylindric, rough and uneven; the village could have passed for a field of monolith, if not for the round windows carved into the stone or the numerous footbridges connecting the buildings to one another.

Compared to Konoha, where the architecture was not in harmony with the forest surrounding the village but the vibrant colors of the houses and shops made it very lively, Suna felt bleak, and the shadows casted by the rocky cliffs surrounding the village and looming over the rooftops only added to the impression.

The sound of footsteps coming his way broke Naruto out of his observation. His momentarily forgotten feeling of urgency came back full force when he realized that the newcomer was noe other than Kakashi, with one of his ninken, a tan-coloured small dog, breathing laboriously slouched on his shoulder.

"Good news." the Copy Ninja announced. "Biscuit here found a trail, that seems to lead to the Land of Rivers. It isn't too far, if we leave immediately and make good time, we could be there in less than three days."

The exhausted ninken waved a paw at Naruto, before disappearing in a puff of smoke after getting a grateful nod from Kakashi.

"My meeting with Suna's council also proved to be fruitful." he continued. "I got some info on Sasori and his partner. The other Akatsuki member was using explosives, made out of clay and shaped like animals. Probably chakra constructs that are able to move on their own. He was riding atop of something similar during his fight against Gaara, which means that he can fly. Those abilities reminds me of-"

"Deidara the Mad Bomber."

Kakashi looked in surprise at his student. "I see Jiraiya-sama made you memorize the Bingo Book."

"Yeah. Ero-Sennin figured that I should know about the most famous missing-nins, in case the Akatsuki tries to recruit them, or if they are already member of the organisation." Naruto confirmed.

The silver-haired man nodded approvingly. "A rather sound iniative, I must say. Knowledge is as much of a weapon a kunai or a jutsu is. I am sure we will be able to come up with a few strategies as we pursue them."

Urgency made way for excitment at the forefront of the blond's mind. It was finally time to move.

"So if we got their trail, we can go after them now!"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. Sakura should be done by now. All we've got to do is fetch her up, and we'll leave right after."

"Then let's go!" Naruto said, immediately making his way towards the infirmary. Kakashi followed suit, smiling wistfully at the blond's back, and for a moment the movements of his red cloak could be mistaken for a long mane of crimson hair.

* * *

Night was falling on the woods at the border of the Land of Rivers, and the shadows were slowly but surely engulfing the small patches of light casted by the setting sun amidst the trees, save from a small clearing where the Kazekage's rescue party had established camp.

Naruto was lost in the contemplation of the fire he had just lit, trying to ease his mind so he could get a few hours of rest before dawn. His teammates were still in the process of unpacking and setting up their tents, something the blond's skills in fūinjutsu made considerably faster and easier.

He was starting to regret not bringing his new sword, as some workout would have been ideal to release some pent up tension and relax, but Naruto was far from being satisfied with his kenjutsu and had thought better to leave the Makoto in Konoha.

His gaze left the flames when the additional member of their party sat up on the other side of the fire.

The old woman (Chiyo, he remembered her name was) intrigued him. He had noticed that her bag was full of scrolls, instead of more mundane shinobi equipment, and if the old, sand-coloured tent he could see at the edge of the light provided by the fire was any indication, they served the same purpose as the scrolls Naruto was carrying himself.

Storage scrolls.

Which meant that this woman had some knowledge in fūinjutsu, which surprised him a little. Sealing was one of the most obscure branch of the ninja arts, and competent seal-users were rare ever since the fall of Uzushiogakure. Naruto only personally knew two person who used fūinjutsu on a regular basis aside from himself: Jiraiya and Tenten.

The blond wasn't the only one interested in his companion. Chiyō had been observing the three Konoha nin ever since they left Sunagakure, and particularly Naruto.

She remembered very well that Kankurō had called him Uzumaki, a name that she hadn't heard in almost thirty years. The current generation of ninjas did not know much of the dreaded seal masters of Whirlpool, but the former leader of the Puppet Brigade still remembered the tales she heard, when she was young, of a single man stopping an army of a hundred with ink and paper, or red-headed furies slicing their enemies to bits.

However, the only Uzumaki she ever heard of after the destruction of their homeland was the Red Hot Habanero of Konoha, who had died during the Kyūbi's accident sixteen years ago.

It appeared that she had birthed a son before falling against the Fox.

That wasn't what troubled Chiyo the most about the blond-haired sealer, however. His behaviour, the way he walked, talked, his eyes...

You did not get to reach an age as advanced as the Honorable Elder of Suna did without picking up a few things along the way. And Chiyo considered herself pretty damn good at reading people. You had to, when you meddled in the politics of the tribe leaders of the Land of Wind.

Her skills may have dulled ever since she retired from Suna's affairs with her brother, but she still was one of the Sand's most powerful shinobi. Besides, the blond did not try really hard to hide how he felt. The Uzumaki was an open book to her.

"May I ask you a question, young man?"

Naruto's eyes left the flicking flames where they had returned as he mused to meet the charcoal ones of the old kunoichi on the other side of the fire. She was looking at him inquisitively, and he could not help but return the same stare.

"Sure, bā-chan, what's up?"

If the casual tone he answered with bothered her, Chiyō did not show it. "I couldn't help but notice that you seem awfully concerned by the fate of the Kazekage, for a foreign shinobi. I was curious as to why."

"Because he is my friend" he replied with a flat voice, as if it were obvious.

Chiyo scoffed. "Your friend? I have a hard time believing that our Kazekage, as sane as he is now, could make a friend, and particularly one in another village."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the old woman in front of him. Ever since he had first met her in the infirmary where Kankurō had been maintained alive, her attitude had irked him.

"How's it so hard to believe that I'm Gaara's friend, old hag?" he growled, abandoning any and all form of politeness. "Before I met him, he was alone, shunned or feared for what was inside him and what he couldn't control. Nobody took the time, cared, or was brave enough to notice the lonely boy he was, only seeing a weapon to be unleashed on your enemy! But I saw him for who he truly was, because he and I are the same."

Naruto paused for a moment, glaring at the old kunoichi who was facing him. He noted that the noises of tents being set up and backpacks being rummaged through had stopped, meaning that Kakashi and Sakura were listening in.

"But maybe you're right, he is not really a friend. No, he is more like a brother to me."

Chiyo stared at the blond incredulously, before her eyes narrowed, flashing with understanding.

"I see... You're that boy I've heard about, who defeated Gaara during the failed invasion..." she said, her voice low. "I've wondered how anybody, bare the Hokage or a Sannin, could defeat him when he was using the full power of Shukaku, but now I understand."

She folded her arms, and her stare became even more penetrating.

"You are a jinchūriki too."

It wasn't a question, but a statement. It really was not hard to come to this conclusion for the old puppeteer. The Uzumaki had basically spelled it out.

She chuckled. "And quite an odd one at that. The few I've come to meet through the years certainly wouldn't have been so eager to rescue their peers. Gaara wouldn't have lifted one finger to come to your aid before his defeat. If anything, he would have tried to kill you to prove his existence."

"If they were treated like Gaara, it doesn't surprise me." Naruto growled. "Is it some kind of tradition in Suna to try to murder the host of a bijū during their childhood?"

"I'm not going to try to justify the way the Yondaime Kazekage raised his youngest child. He had his village's best interest at heart, but he was a cold man. A true shinobi, some would say." Chiyo admitted. "His desire to create a perfect weapon by using his own son led to his wife's death, and it did not make him any warmer, especially towards Gaara."

She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. It was at this moment that Naruto realised how tired the puppeteer looked.

"I told you, when we left Suna, that I came along so I could settle things down with my grandson Sasori. That is not the only reason. I also want to do my share in the Kazekage's rescue to atone for what I did to him."

The blond frowned, sensing that whatever the retired kunoichi had done to Gaara was something she regretted deeply. "What do you mean? What have you done to him?"

She stayed silent for a moment, her mouth twitching ever so slightly, as if chewing on something bitter. She reopened her eyes, looking down, as someone burdened with regret and shame would.

"If his father was the one who took the decision to condemn his son to the harsh life of a jinchūriki, I was the one who did the sealing, when Gaara was still in the womb of his mother."

A heavy silence fell on the campsite, only troubled by the crackling of the fire.

Kakashi and Sakura were observing Naruto from the corner of their eye. The blond had stilled, his face emotionless and his hair obscuring his eyes. His hands, however, were clenched on his knees, so hard that his knuckles had turned white.

His first reaction, had Naruto listened to his more primal thoughts, would have been to lunge at Chiyo. To lash out at her. Shout at her. Hurt her. Giving her a small piece of all the pain Gaara had gone through.

Just like he had done with his father.

But he had grown, since that day. He had learned to think before acting. And he had learned to sense, too.

Chiyo did not chose to seal the Ichibi into Gaara. That he could tell, from the tremor in her voice, the way her eyes were locked on the ground, and the emotions clouding her heart: regret and guilt being at the forefront.

And now she wanted to have a hand in saving Gaara, instead of dooming him.

"You shouldn't be blaming yourself too much, ya know." Naruto said lowly as he stood up. "Though the fact that you do makes you a better person than I thought you were originally. You were just following orders."

Chiyo looked back at the blond, visibly surprised by his reaction. "You are truly one of a kind, Uzumaki Naruto. To be frank, I expected you to be more vocal about it."

The Uzumaki shrugged. "A part of me wants to hate you, or even harm you, and three years ago, I probably would have acted on this feeling. But I'm not the one who should judge you or you'd have to apologies to. I believe that you regret what you did, and you're proving it by taking action. That I can respect."

The puppeteer nodded, a smile warming up her wrinkled face. "Thank you."

The blond returned the gesture, before turning his gaze to the flames once again.

Farther away from the fire, Kakashi visibly relaxed. He too had feared a more brutal reaction from his student, and prepared himself to stop him in case he tried something stupid. It was still surprising for him to see Naruto actually being mature enough to consider the matter before jumping at Chiyo's throat, figuratively or literally.

And it brought an hint of nostalgia with it too, as Naruto acted more and more like a certain other blond who Kakashi would have followed in the deepest pits of hell without thinking twice.

* * *

The woods further deep in the Land of Rivers were dense enough to allow tree-jumping, making Team Seven Plus One's journey considerably faster. They were on their second day of travel, and, according to Kakashi's ninken, were getting close to the hideout where Deidara and Sasori had taken Gaara to. It was but a matter of hours, they had made good time.

With each jump, each branch he stepped on, Naruto's impatience grew. The feeling of urgency that had followed him since Konoha was more overwherlming than ever. His guts were telling him that they were on a timer, and that time was rapidly growing out. He desperatly needed an outlet.

Two members of the Akatsuki would do.

A jolt of panic and fear coming from Kakashi made him stop brutally, just as the jōnin raised a hand in a silent order to stop.

They were at the edge of the forest, where trees stopped and gave way to a clear, open space, revealing the Land of River's landscape to the group coming from the desert. Several plateaus formed this country, each separated by a multitude of ravines where flowed the many rivers who gave this land its title.

Though it was not the peculiar scenery that made the Copy Ninja stop, but rather the lone silhouette standing in the shadow of a lone tree.

Naruto's anger immediately started to rise, and any thought of harming Chiyo the night before were dwarfed by the overpowering urge to tear apart the figure standing a few yards away from them, and he could feel the powerful beast sealed inside of him stir inside his mind.

Knowing that no subterfuge and no amount of stealth would fool this particuliar opponent, Kakashi, closely followed by the rest of the group, came out in the open.

"Of all the people they could have sent to stop us, it had to be _him_..." sighed the silver-haired ninja.

"_Him_?" wondered Sakura aloud, looking at her sensei, whose focus was entirely on their adverary. Seeing that wouldn't get a response from him, she turned to her teammate.

And immediately took a step back, for Naruto's face was contorted in a grimace of rage, his teeth -no, fangs- barred like a rabbid wolf's would, and his eyes, red and slitted, usually shining with joy, now burned with hatred.

The silhouette stepped out from the shade it stood in, revealing the black robe decorated with red clouds, the stoic face of an experienced, yet young, killer, the scratched Konoha headband, and the red, threatening eyes in which three tomoes spinned slowly.

"It's been a long time, Kakashi-san, Naruto-kun." the man said, his voice as emotionless as his expression.

"So... this is the boy who slaughtered his entire family, isn't it?" inquired Chiyo, already knowing the answer.

"Yep, this is Uchiha Itachi." confirmed the Copy Ninja.

Sakura tore her eyes away from her enraged teammate to face the missing-nin, and she couldn't help but notice the physical similarities between him and Sasuke. All of this in a brief glance, as Kakashi forcefully bended her head.

"Don't, under any circumstance, look at his eyes, or you're done!"

She nodded, and fixed her eyes on the rogue Uchiha's feet.

The jōnin took a sideway glance at Naruto to make sure that the blonde followed his directive. He had felt a powerful surge of killing intent coming from the Uzumaki, but kept a level head, reminding himself that Jiraiya had assured him that Naruto was able to resist the Kyūbi's influence.

The jinchūriki, thankfully, wasn't looking straight at Itachi, but rather on the ground; however, he also looked like he was straining himself not to pounce at the Uchiha and claw his face out.

And Kakashi would be right, as Naruto was indeed struggling, but his fight was even moreso mental than physical.

_**'What are you waiting for? This wretched Uchiha is standing between us and Shukaku!'**_

_'No... I can't just rush at him like that, it would end in disaster...'_

_**'With my power, you could crush him like an ant. Yes, do it! Crush him and his accursed eyes!'**_

_'No... he is not the one I want to kill...'_

_**'Do not lie to me, Naruto! I know how deeply you hate this man; he is the one who pushed Sasuke to commit his whole life to revenge! He is the one who destroyed your cherished Team!'**_

_'...yes, he is, but it is not my place to-'_

_**'Not your place? He is right in front of you! Just kill him! Rid us of this Uchiha scum!'**_

_'Shut up...'_

_**'Kill him! Extinguished the light in those damned Sharingan!'**_

Naruto squinted his eyes shut, trying his utmost to tune out Kurama howling for murder.

_'I told you... TO SHUT UP!'_

The blond's willpower turned out to be strong enough to keep the Fox at bay, as this last mental scream was enough to silence the bijū.

He slowly reopened his eyes, which were back to their normal cerulean tint. The whole ordeal with Kurama had only lasted for no more than a second or two.

He was still shaking from the intense feeling of the Fox's power trying to break his way out of the still. Bitting his hand, hard enough to break skin and draw blood, he fell on one knee, supporting himself with his bleeding hand and drew a long sigh, finally getting his body under control.

"Naruto."

The blond raised his head, meeting Kakashi worried stare. He nodded, answering the jōnin's silent question, before imitating Sakura in fixating the Uchiha's feet.

Said missing-nin had been closely observing the four ninja in front of him. The malevolence Naruto had projected towards him impressed Itachi, though no external sign, whether his expression or body language, showed it.

"It seems that you have some measure of control over the Kyūbi, Naruto-kun. Perhaps fighting you would give me some sort of challenge."

He took a step forth, making the three Konoha ninja and the lone Suna adviser tense.

"But you and I both know that, in the end, resistance is futile. So, make it easier for both of us, and come with me, Naruto-kun."

The hand he was about to extend, as a sign for the blond to follow him, instead gripped a kunai hidden in the sleaves of his black robe and quickly blocked Kakashi's own weapon.

"You'll have to get through me first." the Copy Ninja hissed, his Sharingan challenging Itachi's.

The two ex-ANBU captain stayed locked in their position, kunai grinding against kunai, battling with their eyes. The two kunoichi of the rescue party were on the ready, waiting for a signal from the leader of their group to attack.

And the lone blond of the group was smirking. He snapped his fingers.

"Checkmate."

As soon as the word left his mouth, a long, golden snake bursted out of the ground beneath Itachi's feet and immediately wrapped itself around the missing-nin, successfully immobilizing him.

Both Sharingan users were taken aback by the creature, who sported a strange white and red mask. Kakashi quickly recovered, and not being one to waste such an opportunity, casted his signature technique and hurled his Raikiri in Itachi's gut, who could not dodge nor counter the lethal attack with another justu.

Blood erupted from his stomach and his mouth; his eyes widened, before all light vanished from them. The Akatsuki member was dead.

Kinja relaxed his grip around the corpse, letting the limp body fall on the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut, before puffing out of existence after receiving a brief nod from Naruto.

Kakashi sighed and let his shoulder slump, as he took a glance at 'Itachi'.

The fight had been brief, but as the silver-haired ninja and the Uchiha clashed steel, he'd noticed that something was off about their enemy. Kakashi and Itachi had served in the ANBU as a team for quite some time, and though he was sure that the prodigy was not skipping on his training even after becoming a criminal and had surely progressed since the Uchiha massacre, the Copy Ninja could tell that his stance had been unusually sloppy.

Well, now he knew why. It simply was not Itachi that they just killed. The man lying dead on the group was taller, had shorter hair, more tanned skin and was sporting a goatee. Hearing Chiyo gasp behind him, he turned around to shoot her a questioning glance.

"This person his Yūra, a member of Suna's council, and one of the Kazekage's advisor." she informed him, her eyes disdainful as she stared at the broken body of the now identified man. "He was reported missing ever since Gaara's defeat. I guess we now know why, and it explains how my grandson and his accomplice could sneak into the village so easily..."

Kakashi kneeled next to the corpse, his Sharingan still revealed to the world. A careful examination told him what he wanted to know; the man had been alive when the technique that morphed him into Itachi had been casted.

"This man must have been an underling of Sasori." he guessed. "Once his role in Gaara's capture was complete, the Akatsuki had no more use for him, and through a jutsu I am not familiar with, turned him somehow into a clone of Itachi, and sent him here to stop us, or at the very least, slow us down. Which means-"

"-that they are still in the process of extracting the Ichibi from Gaara, and that, somehow, they know we are coming." finished Naruto for him.

"Exactly." said Kakashi in an appraising tone. "Fortunately for us, we dispatched that döppelganger quickly. And speaking of that..." he looking pointedly at the blond. "...what was this thing? And when did you summon it?"

"It's a unique summon that I am able to call forth through my... pact with the Kyūbi." answered Naruto, the slight hesitation on the word pact not missed by the jōnin. "There are eight others summons like this, who assume different forms. As for when I summoned it, I did it when I layed my palm on the ground. It was risky, but it seems that this clone of Itachi was not as strong as the original, or perhaps he could not just pick it up with his Sharingan since I did not use ninjutsu."

Kakashi was eager to know more about this unique summoning contract, and was very curious to know what Naruto meant when he said that it wasn't a ninjutsu, but he realized that now was not a good time to have an in-depth discussion on ninja techniques with the Uzumaki. It would have to wait.

Instead of another question, he nodded, and, standing up, lowered his headband back on his left eye, hiding his Sharingan.

"Thanks to this unexpected and, I must say, crafty move from you, Naruto, we gained some precious time. We're going to capitalize on that. We're not going to stop until we reach our destination; if anything, this encounter proved that we are on a timer."

He took out from his pouch four little black balls, and expertedly passed one to each of his companion with a flicker of the hand. The half-second it took for them to catch the small objects was apparently enough for Kakashi to take off his mask, eat his own portion, and put it back on.

"We're going to travel at full speed from now on; take that soldier pill right now so that you still have energy left to fight when we arrive at the enemy's hideout."

Sakura and Chiyo complied, not possessing the same chakra reserve as Kakashi; Naruto pocketed his pill, not feeling tired in the slightest. If anything, their short boot with the döppelganger had been a nice warm-up.

Not wasting anymore time, the Kazekage rescue party took off, running even faster than before, determinated to reach Gaara before it was too late.

* * *

"There we are!"

The sun was setting on the Land of Rivers, painting the earth orange and the sky purple with its last rays. The water in the ravine where Team Seven Plus One were finding themselves in was flowing gently, soflty caressing the large pillars of a tōri gate and the impressive boulder blocking the entrance to the Akatsuki's hideout.

"If this big rock is the only thing standing between us and Gaara-sama, then this'll be easier than I thought!" said Sakura, cracking her knuckles.

An arm blocked her way as she approached the massive boulder. "Wait up, Sakura-chan." Naruto told the pinkette, pointing at a small tag stuck on the surface of the rock. "There's a seal apposed there. Trying to enter by force would be useless."

"Naruto is right." Kakashi piped in. "This looks like a Five Seal Barrier. You wouldn't even be able to graze that rock while it protects it."

"How are we going to enter, then?" the pinkette asked, frustrated to be, once again, of no help.

It wasn't the jōnin, but Naruto who answered, his Uzumaki lineage and the accumulated years of training through his clones showing off.

"A barrier like that is maintained by five tags, the one here being one of them. The four other are probably hidden in the vicinity, finding them will take a lot of time."

Kakashi passed a hand through his hair, making it stand up a little than they already were, trying to come up with a quick and efficient way to get pass this new obstacle.

"We don't have a choice: we'll have to wait for Gai's team to catch up with us. It is very likely that they've been delayed, just like us, but without Neji's Byakugan, I don't see how we are going to find the four tags keeping the barrier in place."

"But you said yourself that we were on a timer, sensei!" shouted Naruto, is nerve finally getting the better of him. His eyes, just like when they had encountered Itachi, were red and slitted, his whiskers darker, his lips and the contour of his eyes blackened.

Kakashi sighed, knowing that trying to calm the jinchūriki down would be pointless. "I'm sorry Naruto, but unless you have another idea, the only thing we can do is wait."

The blond growled, before jumping towards the tag tauntingly placed above them. His feet stuck on the surface of the boulder, he crouched, examining attentively the array of kanji written on the piece of paper.

"If we can't find the other tags, then I'll just crack that barrier Uzumaki-style." he called from his place up on the cave's blocked entrance.

"Naruto! This is incredibly risky!" the Copy Ninja warned. "I know that Jiraiya-sama trained you extensively in fūinjutsu, but countering a seal with another can be extremely dangerous!"

"I know! But I'm not going to sit there on my ass waiting for reinforcements! Unless you wanna help me, I'll ask you Kakashi-sensei, and with all due respect, to shut up! I need to concentrate."

"Fine. Admitting that you actually manage to remove that barrier, then what? Us four against two, maybe more Akatsuki members?"

"You'd rather let them have their little party quietly while they suck the Ichibi out of Gaara, sensei? Because that's what is happening right now!"

The jōnin groaned. He was not thrilled by their situation either, but insubordination was something he really did not want to deal with right now. Naruto might be taking more and more after his father as he became older and wiser, but he was still the Red Hot Habanero's son.

With a defeated sighed, he abdicated.

"I know that you'll do it even if I tell you otherwise, so _please_, be careful."

A grunt was his only response. The Uzumaki was already caught up in the examination of the barrier seal.

Sakura, as she observed her teammate at work, clenched her fists in frustration. The chasm separating them was seemingly growing larger and larger.

Her insecurities on her skill as a kunoichi, forgotten after her promotion to chūnin were coming back to the surface. She had felt out of place in Team Seven, but her apprenticeship under Tsunade had reassured her: her teammates were trained by two legendary ninja, and so was she!

The Hokage and Shizune had praised her skill as a medic-nin and on her excellent chakra control, she proved herself during the grueling Survival Test in the Demon's Desert six months ago.

But she didn't do anything during their encounter with the döppelganger, and right now all she could was watch Naruto trying to dispel the barrier standing between them and Gaara.

She was proud to be a medic, healing people was something she liked. If not for her, Kankurō would be dead. But, in a little corner of her mind, she was jealous. She wanted her part of the spotlight, just like Naruto and Sasuke during their missions back when Team Seven was still complete.

"You shouldn't feel that way."

Chiyo's voice startled her, breaking her out of her envious staring and train of thought.

"Your time to shine will come soon enough girl, but even still, comparing yourself to that boy is pointless. He is a jinchūriki, and has at his disposal an unimanigable source of power; and even without considering it, it's obvious that he is destined for greatness."

The elder kunoichi gave a warm smile to the student of her self-appointed rival. "You are certainly not without ressource either. You will make a splendid ninja some day, I am sure of it, otherwise the Slug Princess wouldn't have bothered to teach you anything. But your teammate is certainly a special case, don't you agree?"

The pinkette knew that Chiyo was right. Naruto may have been a prankster and a poor shinobi in their early genin days, but he truly was a diamond in the rough.

But still, a small part of her was, indeed, jealous.

Oblivious to the rest of the world, Naruto was deep in thought, thinking about his one on one lessons with Jiraiya on fūinjutsu. Most of the blond's training in the sealing art had been done through shadow clones, but his godfather had insisted to teach him personally the most complex aspects of it.

"A barrier like this is powered by several tags, one of them apposed on the barrier itself..." he muttered to no one in particular. "They are charged with chakra, powering up the main tag that will keep the barrier in place. To destroy it, the powering tags need to be detached, followed by the main one. When this is done, the barrier will collapse..."

He sat still, his eyes looking at nothing. "Chakra is what is making the barrier standing, obviously, and it's coming from the tags... I could create a thousand clones, and let them search the area for them, but even with that, they are probably well hidden, and I already have difficulties finding my underwear when I wake up in the morning..."

Naruto's eyes widened suddenly, as an idea came to him. "If the tags are powering up the barrier with the chakra stored inside them, I could try to sever that connection!"

He took out a small scroll from his pouch, unravelled it and unsealed a brush, a pot of ink and several pieces of paper. "I'd have to create another barrier around this one, preventing chakra from reaching it. That could work... or blow up in my face if I screw it up..."

With swift and precise stroke of his brush, his tongue picking out of his mouth as he put his entire attention to the task at hand, Naruto drew four tags of his own that would disrupt the chakra present in the area they enclosed and forbid the entry of any more energy.

If they worked, that is.

He placed them carefully around the seal maintaining the barrier, under the amazed, interested and worried eyes of Sakura, Chiyo and Kakashi respectively.

"Here we go." Naruto announced, his hands forming a sign, chakra already molded. "Seal!"

The sealing arrays on the blond's tag glowed a bright blue for a moment, producing a low humming sound, before fading back to their original inky black and into silence.

"Did... did it work?" Sakura asked, unsure whether or not to take the phenomena as a good sign.

She turned towards her sensei, who was looking intently with his lone revealed eye at Naruto, a bead of sweat running on his temple.

"I hope it did, malfunctiuning seals can have some nasty results. The one Naruto applied just now is a rather complex one; I am surprised he managed to craft it so quickly." he answered, his stare not leaving the blond.

The Uzumaki in question hadn't move, though he was prepared the leap away in case something went wrong. His tags were still in place, and so was his anti-chakra barrier. He tentatively reached for the seal originally stuck on the boulder, moving his hand carefully past the limit of his creation.

His fingers eventually made contact with their target, and with one, abrupt movement of his arm, tore the tag away from the rock.

Naruto smirked victoriously, throwing the now useless tag away. He detached his own ones and sealed them back with his sealing equipment before jumping down at his companions' side.

"Done! Now all we have to do is blow that thing up and rescue Gaara!"

Kakashi sighed, half in relief that the blond had pulled it off, half in frustration that the blond had pulled it off after he challenged his authority. But he guessed that it was partly his fault, for teaching him Obito's credo. He could not really blame him, for he would probably have done the same.

"It's your turn, Sakura." the jōnin called, poiting towards the cave's blocked entrance.

The pinkette did not needed to be told twice. She flexed her fingers, cocked her arm backwards, and hurled her first at the boulder.

A sound not dissimilar to the outburst of a thunderstorm rang before the ravine they stood in was engulfed in a cloud of dust and a shower of stone chunks. When it dissipated, nothing was left of the boulder but a pile of rubble, leaving the Akatsuki's hideout open.

Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura and Chiyo did not waste one second and sprang forward, breaking in the the criminals' base in a button hook entry formation, the two shinobi taking the left side and the two kunoichi the right.

The pyre burning into Naruto's chest turned into a blazing inferno, and his features turned even more feral as he took in the scene unfolding in front of him.

Gaara was floating in a massive cloud of chakra, his face contorted into a grotesque grimace and his mouth opened in a silent scream. Red energy was sipping out of his body and absorbed into a gigantic and monstruous statue, whose nine, horrible eyes were half-open as if it was slowly awakening from its slumber.

On the fingertips of the titanic creature stood nine figures cloacked in black and red, though only two of them were physically present.

The sihouette tore his eyes from the Kazekage's body, and turned his piercing, rippled violet eyes towards Naruto, who flinched when Kurama howled in rage and indignation in his mind. The voice of the silhouette came out as dead, though an undercurrent of anger and annoyance could be clearly noticed in his tone.

_"It seems that our unwanted guests are more talented than we originally thought."_

* * *

**Naruto and co arrived in time to prevent Gaara's death, yay!  
**

**This chapter might seem a little bit rushed, but I did not want to linger too much on this arc, thus I opted to skip the part that would have stayed identical or very close to cannon. The Sakura and Chiyo vs Sasori will be one such scene, but the fight opposing Naruto and Kakashi to Deidara will play out differently, so stay tuned!**

**Review time! AND IF YOU DON'T I SWEAR I'LL START A NARUTOXBERSERK CROSSOVER FIC WITH HINATA STARRING AS CASCA, AND I'LL REWRITE ALL OF VOLUME 13 FROM HER PERSPECTIVE. I'M CRAZY ENOUGH TO DO IT. I'M SRS GUYZ.**


	9. The Flight of the Fox

**'ullo, dudes and dudettes.  
**

**I have thanks to give today! First, to Ziltoid, for recommending my story in his own, _The Honoured Guest_, a captivating NaruHina fic with a more serious and mature take on Naruto's character. If you haven't read it yet, or any of Ziltoid other stories for that matter, then... what the hell are you waiting for?**

**The biggest shoutout and virtual hug goes to Werejaguar of Halloween Town, my new beta, for her hard work and enthusiastic help and suggestions! Praise the Beta \\[T]/**

**Without any further due, here's the chapter!**

**Disclaimer:**** Naruto is property of Kishimoterino. Please no copy pasterino.****  
**

* * *

The grueling training Naruto had put himself through during the past two years to master Kurama's chakra had the consequence of slowly but surely closing the distance between the minds of vessel and beast. Their mental exchanges notably became much easier as the blond learned to wield the Kyūbi's chaotic power: the blink of the eye was all it took for Naruto to slip into his mindscape, and the emotional link he shared with the Fox made the use of his chakra easier, though it came with an unnatural aggressiveness that the Uzumaki had trouble repressing in the most dire cases.

Team Seven's encounter against Itachi's clone had been such an instance. Kurama's deep seeded hatred for the Uchiha burst out at the mere sight of a Sharingan, and in turn affected Naruto, who already had his own reasons to despise the rogue prodigy. His strength of will and stubbornness had, until now, been enough to tune out most of Kurama's monstrous intents. But now, his attempts to mute the outraged roars of the Fox or to ignore the wave of anger, disbelief and, to the blonde's surprise, fear were futile as soon as Naruto's eyes had made contact with the demonic statue. The thing took up half of the cave that served as the Akastuki's hideout and crossed the metallic stare of the shimmering sinister figure standing in the middle of his criminal peers.

**'THAT THING! THOSE EYES! IMPOSSIBLE! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!'**

Kurama's voice was loud, too loud for Naruto, and it rang painfully in his mind; his wrath worsening his deafening howls by making the Uzumaki blind to the rest of the world. He clutched his head, a pointless reflex to try to ease the pain and effort to keep his hand from thrashing around and harm Kakashi, who was standing next to him, in case he lost control. Said man had noticed that something was wrong with Naruto, and could only guess that it was the Kyūbi acting out. He cursed inwardly. The timing could not have been more wrong.

None of the Akatsuki members had moved, though their eyes were all fixed on the four intruders. The dim blue light emitted by the mass of chakra surrounding the unconscious Gaara was enough for Kakashi to see that only two of the missing-nins were physically present. The rest of them were simply projections, but this fact brought little to no comfort to the Copy Ninja. Deidara and Sasori alone were still formidable adversaries.

"Naruto, get a hold of yourself!" he ordered urgently, putting a hand on his student's shoulder.

The sudden physical contact brought the blonde back to reality. The furious roars of Kurama were still ringing in his head, but his freshly retrieved awareness made the torrents of dark emotions bearable; his own fury upon witnessing Gaara's condition was fighting to keep him lucid.

"I'm fine." he assured his sensei, growling through his barred teeth.

"You four are an impressive bunch, I will give you that. To break through a barrier like this so quickly..." the middle figure spoke, his words distorted as if coming through a radio.

"I apologize again, Leader-sama." the familiar emotionless voice of Uchiha Itachi came, similarly changed by the projection. "Our intel on Naruto-kun is outdated."

"Indeed. It seems that we will have to complete the Ichibi's extraction at a later date."

The purple-eyed silhouette finally made a move, dropping the hand sign he had been holding. The other Akastuki members followed soon after, making the cloud of chakra disappear and the monstrous statue close its gaping mouth. Without the energy keeping him levitated in the air, Gaara's body fell, landing with a dull noise on the cave's floor.

"Sasori, Deidara," the rippled-eyed man called. "Take the jinchūriki to another hideout. We will finish there."

Without any foretelling sign, the seven projections disappeared, and not a second after so did the statue, emitting a gigantic cloud of smoke in the process. When it cleared away, all that remained were the rogue bomber and puppeteer approaching the still unconscious Ichibi's vessel.

"Well, I'd like to stay and show you all what true art is..." started Deidara, who moved to pick up Gaara,"...but you heard him, we're being awaited. So we'll just take that guy and-"

"Like hell you will!" shouted Naruto, whose hands were nothing but a blur as he prepared his technique. He brought his finger close to his mouth before spewing an array of fireballs directed towards the nine missing-nins "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Technique!"

The two remaining missing-nin easily dodged the fiery projectiles, but were nonetheless forced to jump away from their captive. Not wasting a second or caring if his teammates followed him, Naruto rushed towards the unconscious Kazekage. Before he could reach him, a massive, grotesque bird pushed him away with its large wings, caught Gaara up in its pale beak, and swallowed him whole.

"You ain't going to get your friend back just yet, brat. He still has some raccoon juice left in him, hn." taunted Deidara, standing arrogantly on the creature's back.

"We won't let you two get away with the Kazekage." warned Kakashi, who was now standing, along with Sakura and Chiyo, at Naruto's side, a kunai at the ready.

A cavernous snort came from the right of the clay bird, as Sasori took position next to his teammate, his metal tail waving dangerously above his hunched figure. "Looks like we won't be getting out of here without a fight."

"Fine by me! It'll be a good occasion to show you how my art is the finest of all!" exclaimed Deidara enthusiastically. "For art is an explosion! And you..." he pointed his finger towards Naruto. "...will get to witness it just like that red-headed brat did, hn!"

"I don't give a shit about your shitty art." snarled the Uzumaki, whose voice dripped with killing intent. "All I want is my friend, and your head. And I'm going to get them both."

Deidara's smug expression turned into a scowl and his lone visible eye blazed in anger, the madness he held inside mixing in slowly within the rage.

"Hmph. See, Deidara. Even the Kyūbi thinks that your explosions aren't worth shit." Sasori mocked, mildly amused. "It almost makes me regret the fact that I am about to beat him to a pulp and kill his little friends."

"WHAT?! You think I'll just stand there while this fucking brat insults my art?!" shrieked the rogue Iwa nin.

"No, I expect you to follow the leader's orders and take the Ichibi to one of our hideouts. I'll take care of these pests. You've already captured your jinchūriki, now it's my turn."

A pointed glare from Sasori stopped Deidara from arguing any further. The bomber shot one last venomous glance at Naruto, before his mount took flight and moved towards the cave's exit.

The Uzumaki wasn't having any of it. Without a second thought, he immediately was in hot pursuit of Deidara, all attempts to try to control his murderous rage completely forgotten.  
"GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!"

Quick as lightning, Sasori's mechanical tail shot in a lethal blur. "Didn't you hear me, boy? Your fight is with me."

Oblivious to everything but his prey, Naruto did not even try to dodge the poisonous appendage in his mad race.

A sure hit, and with his regenerative capabilities, the jinchūriki would resist the deadly effect of the poison, but certainly not escape the pain. Sasori's work was cut out for him...if not for the barely perceptible string of chakra attached to the joint of the tail, preventing it for hitting its mark. The rogue puppeteer's eyes narrowed as they followed the strings and fell on the outstretched hand of Chiyo. "Still sharp, even after having retired... bā-chan."

"My poor little Sasori... Didn't I teach you not to underestimate your opponent?" she retorted playfully, though her voice carried the edge of a shinobi who was about to fight to the death. "Kakashi," she called. "Follow the Uzumaki boy and bring the Kazekage back."

The Copy Ninja nodded. He'd intended to do just that, and took off before Naruto had too much of an advance on him.

A raucous, mirthless laugh came from the hunched figure of Sasori. "Do you really think that an old bat like yourself and a little Leaf girl can stand a chance against me, bā-chan? Or have you finally gone senile?"

The elder puppeteer clicked her tongue annoyingly. "My, you developed quite a potty mouth while away, Sasori. And did I not just said to you that underestimating your opponents was a mistake?"

She turned towards Sakura, stretching her fingers as a short warm-up. "Now, girl, show me what the Slug Princess taught you. I'll need your help giving my grandson the spanking he deserves."

The pinkette adjusted her black gloves on her hands, determination gleaming in her emerald eyes. Now was her time to shine.

"Let's do it!"

* * *

For a civilian or a fresh genin, the valleys and ravines of the Land of Rivers were quite a surprising sight. Large trunks were embedded in the cliffs above the running waters, high enough to allow passage for boats. It was, obviously, a very convenient way for ninja to travel through the country; the other options were either water-walking, slower and more chakra demanding, or simply staying on the plateaus above, avoiding the rivers altogether, but needing to make large detour to travel from one plateau to another. The Land of Rivers was a small country, and did not have a Hidden Shinobi Village; as such, it often required the services of their bigger neighbors, such as the Land of Wind, and more particularly Suna. Most of the land's income came from commerce, and the many merchants and traders of the country made good use of the multitude of rivers traversing their territory by importing and exporting via boats. Ninja were very often recruited to protect said boats from bandits or money lusting missing-nins, but such missions had gone wrong from times to times due to the unique landscape of the Land of Rivers, which rendered defensive maneuvers often difficult, if not impossible to execute.  
As such, the simple system of the trunks embedded in the cliffs was created: it allowed ninja to counter attacks from above easily or to travel ahead from the boats by jumping from trunk to trunk just like they would from branch to branch in a forest. An investment that proved fruitful, as today many foreign traders decided to have their goods conveyed through the Land of Rivers instead of having them sent through faster, riskier routes.

It was on one of those trunks that Naruto took foot, and leaped high into the air, powered as much by his chakra as by his rage. His shadow betrayed him, however, and Deidara saw the attack coming. The clay mount turned abruptly, barely grazing its left wing against the purple-colored Rasengan spinning furiously in the enraged Uzumaki's palm.

Naruto couldn't dispel his technique in time, and obliterated the trunk he landed on, the one after that, and finished his fall in the river below. It didn't take long for him to emerge, though in his wrath it proved more difficult than it should have been; his moves were too powerful, too fast, but he eventually managed to stand on his two feet on the surface. He looked up, and snarled. Deidara had taken advantage of his fall to rise up even higher in the air.

"How's the water, Kyūbi? Not too cold, I hope." The bomber mocked from the back of the clay bird, waving his one remaining arm as a mock salute. "Here's a little something to warm you up."  
The Akatsuki member foraged through a large pouch on his belt for a moment, then opened his palm, and from it came a swarm of little white swallows, too much for Naruto to count in the short time that he had to avoid them.

The ones leading the charge were only a few feet away when the Uzumaki took shelter under a still standing trunk. The swallows, flying too fast to change their path, hit it head on, turning the thick piece of wood into a shower of splinters. Naruto jumped away in time, but the remaining clay constructs were now too close for him to dodge or block, airborne as he was.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A powerful gust of wind swathed away the small white birds, making them crash against the cliff of the ravines.

"Good thing I wasn't late, this time." Kakashi drawled, standing on a small lump of wood, the only remaining piece left of a once sturdy trunk.

Deidara scowled in annoyance. He'd wanted, despite Sasori's order, to fight and capture Naruto, both in retribution for his earlier insult and as a way to one up Itachi. Ever since his defeat at the hand of the Uchiha the very day he had joined the Akatsuki, the rogue Iwa-nin's newest obsession, outside of his 'art', was to prove himself better than him. And what better way to do that than capture Itachi's target, the Kyūbi, who had, the day before, swiftly defeated his clone? He knew that the fight would have been a tough one, with him missing an arm and the jinchūriki having progressed far more than expected. But now, he'd had to count with the Copy Ninja.  
Deidara wasn't really the sharpest kunai in the holster, but even he could tell that he was outmatched. Reluctantly, he silently ordered his mount to turn back and fly out towards Akatsuki's nearest hideout.

"You're not getting away, bastard!" yelled Naruto, already forming a series of hand signs foreign to Kakashi. "One Mask Svahā: Shu!"

A glowing, blue kanji appeared in the air behind the blonde, and out of it came a majestic bird, with a rich and elegant deep red plumage, a forked, golden tail and a white and red kitsune mask.

"Come on, sensei!" Naruto hollered, already mounted on the back of the summons.

Kakashi snapped out of his contemplation, never having witnessed something of the sort before. To know that Naruto could use such a technique was one thing, but to actually see it was another. He hopped up to his student's side, noting to himself to ask him about those strange summons later.

Suzaku took flight in a flash, and proved himself faster than Deidara's creation, as the distance separating the Mad Bomber and the two Konoha nin decreased in a matter of minutes.

_'What the hell?'_ the rogue Iwa shinobi thought. _'Itachi never told us about that kind of crap! The Kyūbi was trained by Jiraiya of the Sannin, he should be summoning toads, not a freaking bird!'  
_  
Their lack of intel on Konoha's jinchūriki was even more glaring than it first seemed. The runt had much more up his sleeve than expected. Retreat was, perhaps, going to be even more difficult than a straight up fight.

Deidara quickly broke out of his stupor. His eyes narrowed, and a smirk crept its way back out on his face, his hand once again buried in his clay pouch. _'Well, if they wanna go at it, who am I to deny them? And it just so happens that I'm quite used to aerial battles...' _

The vermillion bird had quickly caught up with Deidara's mount, allowing its two riders in attack range.

"Kakashi-sensei, give me fire!" shouted Naruto.

"Right on it!" the cyclopean ninja answered, jutsu at ready in the blink of an eye.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

"Fire Style: Great Fireball!"

A white hot inferno was unleashed from the mouths of the two Konoha nin, lighting the canyon and forest beneath them as if the sun was not just giving its last rays for the day, but shining full force in the middle of the sky.

If the torrent of fire rapidly coming his way worried Deidara, he hid it well. His smirk was still plastered on his lips as his creation dived abruptly. The sudden maneuver did not make him falter one bit: if anything, the plunge was exhilarating for him.

Suzaku followed, but neither Kakashi nor Naruto were used to the acrobatic movements of an aerial fight: they did not lose their balance, but the unexpected dive forced them to cancel their combined technique. The two birds were now in a mad race amidst the trunks the pursuit had started in, which did not make it any easier for the teacher-student duo. Kakashi couldn't keep Deidara long enough in his line of sight to activate his Kamui, and Naruto did not have a repertoire of ranged techniques large enough to come up with one that would stop Deidara for good. Their speed advantage was not making a difference within such a tight space full of obstacles, and Suzaku's size, greater than Deidara's bird, made it harder for him to navigate through the trunks.

In his frustration, Naruto almost missed the minuscule white spider that lander on his shoulder. And after he noticed that one, he noticed the other dozens of them attached to the cliffs and trunks, ready to hop on him and Kakashi.

"Shit!"

His student's outburst immediately put the silver-haired ninja on guard, and was quick to assess the danger they were in, but not quick enough. The spiders attached themselves to Kakashi's jacket and Naruto's coat, and some started to glow ominously in mid-air just before landing on their targets. The two of them were quick to discard their swarmed articles of clothing, but not enough so they could throw them to a safe distance, and neither is Suzaku at slowing down to avoid the cascade of tiny arachnids about to make them enter in Deidara's ephemeral art gallery.

Naruto closed his eyes, ready to call on the Fox Cloak and risk wrapping Kakashi in it to save them from a fiery death, but it never came. He heard the spiders detonate, but the deafening sound was quickly muffled by an eerie noise he could not quite recognize. Hesitantly opening his eyelids, the blond was awed to find the much expected explosion absorbed into what looked like a hole in the very fabric of reality. The air surrounding that tear was warped, as if space itself was drawn up into a vacuum of some sort.

Time seemed to still as the fiery hell that Deidara's creation had unleashed upon Naruto and Kakashi was sucked out into nothingness. The hole closed itself ever so slowly, leaving only wisps of smoke and burned splinters for traces of an explosion. Naruto turned his wide gaze from the point where the black hole had been to Kakashi when he heard the jōnin starting to breathe laboriously.

"Sensei!" he shouted, noticing the state of exhaustion the elder shinobi was in. The visible part of his face was drenched in sweat, and his mask couldn't hide the fact that he was grimacing painfully. He was clutching the left side of his head, and through the tense knuckles of his head, Naruto could make out the new shape of his Sharingan. Gone were the usual three tomoes, in their place was a black, sharp pinwheel-like design. The threatening growl resonating in his mind confirmed his suspicion.

"Sensei... you have the Mangekyō Sharingan."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Kakashi nodded tiredly. "Yes, I do..."

The blond left it at that, but was not done. Aside from the brief explanation given to him by Sasuke during their fight in the Valley of the End, Kurama had made sure to inform him on all he knew about the Sharingan. The bijū proved to be a vast source of knowledge on the Uchiha's kekkei genkai, from his own experience during the Warring States era or from what he learned through Mito, his first container.

Naruto was very much aware of what one needed to do in order to elevate his Sharingan to the Mangekyō stage.

But he would have to hear this story another time. He had an Akatsuki member to kill and a brother to save.

Naruto wasn't the only one to hear Kakashi's admission, however. Deidara had stopped his mount too, so he could witness for himself the artistic demise of the Copy Ninja and the Kyūbi jinchūriki. His spiders would have killed the former, but he was confident that the latter would have survived his fine craft thanks to his tenant. Instead, he had watched as the blast had been absorbed into nothingness, leaving his two pursuers unharmed. He was too far away and twilight far too advanced to see it for himself, but he heard clearly the Kyūbi mutter the thrice damned word.

Mangekyō.

His art had been bested by a Sharingan. Again. Deidara couldn't stand it. He wouldn't stand it.

"NO! I WON'T! I WON'T GET RIDICULED AGAIN BY A SHARINGAN!"

Clenching the little clay he had left in his monstrous hand, Deidara released a single sculpture. Despite the speed at which he had crafted it, the dragonfly now laying in his open palm was finely shaped. Its four, frail wings were battling furiously, emitting a threatening humming noise as it left its creator's outstretched hand, before darting towards the two Konoha nin, a pale flash barely visible in the falling night.

Suzaku didn't wait for his summoner's command to take off to the sky once more, leaving the ravine below and flying towards the rising moon at full speed. But as fast as the majestic bird was, the clay dragonfly was faster, and was closing in on them at an alarming pace.

Naruto was desperately trying to come up with a way to evade the lethal insect before it caught up to him and his teacher, who was still having trouble to find his breath. Kakashi had difficulty even staying kneeled on Suzaku's back at the speed they were flying. The humming of the dragonfly's wings came to the blonde's ears like a requiem, piercing even the roars of the wind. It was a matter of second before it finished its race and took them with it in its aerial grace.

The blond could only see one course of action. It was going to hurt, probably a lot, and it could very well fail, but Kakashi would be safe. He went to work with haste, and started forming the necessary hand signs.

At the same time Naruto and Kakashi had fled the homing missile disguised as a fragile insect, Deidara had once again chosen to just watch his creation instill fear in the heart of his opponents, laughing maniacally as their flying mount tried to escape from his living sculpture.

"YES! That's it! Flee, cower in fear like the bigots you are! Die, so that my art can reach its apex!" he hollered, eyes widened and pupil dilated out of madness, as he formed his signature half sign. "For art is... an explosion!"

The dragonfly had caught up to its targets, and landed on Naruto's shoulder. Deidara's mad grin widened, and he let out one last cackle before shouting his favorite command.

"KATSU!"

For a moment, the obscurity of the falling night vanished, replaced by the blinding light of a small, incandescent sun and the hollow melody of the wind by the might roar of Deidara's art. And in an instant, it was over, leaving only a cloud of black smoke sticking out on the dark blue canvas that was the twilight sky. The bomber sighed elatedly, like two lovers would after an evening of raw passion. "Yes... art. That was my art at its finest... fleeting seconds of unparalleled beauty... wonderful!"

Something fell out of the lingering cloud, but he did not bother to acknowledge it. His art could only exist for the briefest of instant: what remained after was ugly, gross, undeserving of his admiring stare.

If he had watched it, he would have noticed in time the angry red glow piercing through the wisp of smokes covering the falling object. But he didn't, not until a furious and burn-covered Naruto thrusted a crimson Rasengan into the living sculpture that served as the Akatsuki member's mount.

The clay bird exploded, and had it been a real one, blood and gory body parts would have rained on the Land of Rivers' soil. Deidara was propelled into the forest covering the plateau above the ravine they had raced in before, while the head of the bird, still intact, fell into the river below.

Still in the air, Naruto created a clone, who then proceeded to catch him by the ankles and throw him towards where Deidara had fallen. The bunshin remained, and went to retrieve Gaara before the Kazekage drowned in the river.

Kakashi was the tired, and somewhat awed, spectator of all this, hanging as he was between Tennyo's ribbons. Even for his Sharingan, what Naruto did had been hard to follow.

Just before the dragonfly had exploded, Kakashi had felt himself wrapped in something and carried extremely fast out of the blast's radius. He had briefly saw Naruto dispel the bird they had rode in on and cover himself in his tenant's chakra, before the disguised bomb was triggered. And now there he was, being carried by what he guessed was another of Naruto's summons. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about them still, but this one certainly was interesting, from his point of view. One that he unknowingly shared with Jiraiya, but he was too caught up in the rather generous bossom tightly covered by an elegant robe hanging just above his nose to think about his favorite writer.

* * *

His skin was itching so bad! But it was better than having it melt and blister…

Naruto knew that taking that dragonfly to the face would hurt, even with Kurama's chakra shielding him. After being dragged through the dirt by his godfather and the Fox living in his gut for two and a half years, he considered himself pretty damn resilient to pain. Still, being caught in the center of an explosion of this caliber, it hurt. Bijū or not. Thank Kami for his enhanced healing factor.

The blond had to admit, aerial combat and long ranged techniques were definitely not his forte. Deidara, however, was evidently an expert in both. But now, the tables were turned. They were on the ground, in a forest, where closing in on an enemy was much easier than in open terrain. A predatory smile crept its way on Naruto's feral features, unveiling his barred fangs and stretching his blackened lips sinisterly.

The hunt was on.

* * *

Deidara swore loudly as he tried to move his right leg. His landing had been rather brutal, and he was in too much pain to actually assess the level of damage he'd underwent. One thing was for certain, his body was far from being intact, without even considering his missing right arm. Most of all, he was enraged. More than he had ever been before.

His art had been outclassed, not once, but twice. Unacceptable! A sin!

The fragile thread maintaining Deidara's sanity together was slowly but surely withering away by the intensity of his rage.

_'Kill 'em... I'll kill 'em... turned them to ashes... beautiful... it'll be beautiful...'_

He got up from his landing spot and started to walk back towards the ravine, not caring about the pain coursing through his limbs. He had no plans in mind whatsoever to get back at the Konoha nin, and he was far too lost in his own world to care.

Limping his way between the trees, his wobbly path led him to a small clearing. In its center laid one of the torn wings of his now destroyed flying mount, glowing under the moonlight and sticking out like a sickly, sore thumb on the dark grass. Deidara let out a gleeful giggle. That was exactly what he needed. He had spent all of his clay by now, between his fight against the Ichibi and his recent one against the Kyūbi and the Copy Ninja.

Forgetting the state his leg was in, he leaped on the clay appendage and voraciously thrusted his one good arm inside the modeled clay. The unnatural mouth in his palm started its feast, readying itself to unleash artistic hell on the two offending ninja who had been at the center of Deidara's exposition and lived to tell the tale.

_'Not for long...'_ he thought feverishly. _'Not for long...'_

A cracking noise resonated between the trees, making Deidara jerk his body and frantically look around him, desperately trying to perceive what, or rather who, was approaching through the shadows. He could feel the air growing thicker and thicker, the hairs on the back of his neck rising up, and the dark, oppressing thoughts directed towards him. Deidara's mad grin widened. He wouldn't even have to seek the simpletons who had disgraced his art. He sidestepped rapidly to his right, avoiding the black blur who had come from behind him and the extended, clawed hand that would have slit his throat clean. His crazed smile did not diminish in the slightest when he turned to face his adversary.

Naruto was crouched at the edge of the clearing, at the border between the total obscurity of the forest and silvery gleam of the moonlit shade. The burns on his face and hands were still not fully closed, leaving sickly red trails that accentuated his crimson, slit eyes. His clothes were in a sad state, even more badly burned and torn that their owner was.

The two blondes' gazes locked on each other, one filled with growing madness, the other with deep resentment; both, with contempt and loathing.

"So... the little fox has come to play." Deidara said. "Just the freak I was looking for. You're just eager to taste dirt like your raccoon friend did, aren't you?"

A mirthless laugh escaped Naruto's mouth. "A freak, huh? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Though I have to admit, I drew the short straw on that one. Compared to some of your buddies I had the displeasure to meet, you don't look like much."

A vein throbbed dangerously on the bomber's forehead. "What did you say?"

It was the jinchūriki's time to smirk. "I said that you're the smallest freak of the Akastuki. Are you deaf, or do you just like to shove your shitty toys into all of your orifices?"

Deidara could not believe it. His target was just dismissing him as if he wasn't even worth fighting? And he had the nerve to insult his art even further than he already had?

"You were asking for it, you trash!" the rogue Iwa nin yelled. "I don't give a shit if it takes ten or a hundred years for your bijū to reform after your death! I'M GOING TO ANNIHILATE YOU!"

From the mouth in his left palm came long, blemish centipedes that started scurrying at a frightening pace as soon as they touched the ground. When his unique appendage spat the last one out, Deidara immediately leaped back, trying to create a comfortable distance between him and Naruto. But the Uzumaki wasn't having any of that. He had the terrain advantage now that they were fighting on the ground, and was determinate not to let himself be overwhelmed at range by his foe. Like he had done a few hours before, he concentrated his chakra in his legs and jump high in the air, too high for the clay centipedes to reach him even if they stood vertically. He landed heavily behind the swarm of living bombs and immediately took sprint, swiftly closing the distance between him and his adversary.

Deidara cursed loudly. Close quarter combat was certainly not his greatest strength, and even a single glance at his opponent's stance, reflexes and speed told him that close range fighting was his specialty. Adding to that he was facing a jinchūriki who had apparently some sort of control over his tenant's chakra, his missing arm and his injured leg, he knew that if he let the other blond get too close, he wouldn't last long.

He didn't have time to use his Explosion Style techniques to repel Naruto's upcoming assault. Deidara was not one to balk at the idea of using other jutsu than his favorite ones: he was most certainly proud of his art, but not blindly so. In some situations, there were just better alternatives. A lesson that had been drilled in his head by the Sandaime Tsuchikage himself, just like the technique he was about to use.

"Earth Style: Rising Rock!"

Two chunk of stone rose out of the ground in the blink of an eye, too fast for Naruto to avoid at the speed he was going. He was violent propelled back to where he came from: the middle of a swarm of very aggressive and explosive centipedes.

Having little desire to meet the arthropods up close, Naruto acted fast. "Wind Style: Divine Wind!"

Overloading the technique on purpose, the Uzumaki was blown away by its violent recoil into the foliage of a tree, out of reach from Deidara's constructs, while the vegetation that was in front of him was blown away. The terrorist held his position, though his tattered cloak was put out of its misery by the purposefully failed jutsu.

Naruto's breath was cut when his back violently made contact with the tree for a moment, and when he got it back, it was to hiss in pain when shards of bark cut through the damaged fabric of his jacket and his skin after it entered his burn wounds. He pushed his suffering to the back of his mind, solely focusing on the criminal below him. Deidara was back in the clearing's center, storing every ounce of clay he could salvaged from the remnants of his bird.

The centipedes had gathered at the base of the tree, and a few of them started climbing it, their numerous legs clicking in a sickening fashion against the sturdy bark.

Naruto had to fight off the urge to simply rush at Deidara, consequences be damned. The more injuries he received, the more Kurama and his advanced healing factor had to kick in, allowing more of the Fox's chakra to mix with his own. His emotional state had already forced a lot of it in his system, enhancing his techniques and physical prowess, but dulling his sense of preservation and his overall awareness, leaving behind the sole desire to kill his prey. If the fight were to last too much, Kurama's chakra would eventually take its toll, either turning him into a mindless killing machine or just be too much for his body to handle in the end, and he would collapse in exhaustion.

The centipedes had stopped moving as a compact swarm, and were now covering a large portion of the clearing around the Mad Bomber, forbidding Naruto from coming close to their creator. However, he couldn't just let Deidara gather ammunition. He had to take action, and immediately.

The bomber was impatiently waiting for the jinchūriki to make a move. He was ready to riposte from a direct charge in an explosive manner this time around.

"Come out little fox!" he sneered. "Or I'll make you!"

Deidara was just about to blow up the tree Naruto was perched in, when the earth started to shake. Fissures started to appear beneath the swarm of centipedes, and soon after the ground erupted, sending the sentient bombs flying around.

In their place, with still half of its body buried, stood a massive, pitch black tortoise, wearing the same fox-like mask like that the bird Naruto had previously summoned.

Now that Genbu had cleared a path for him, the Uzumaki was quick to take back the initiative. Darting out of the foliage, he covered the distance between him and his foe in the blink of an eye, and immediately unleashed a flurry of fists and claws on him, forbidding the bomber to cast some sort of defense.

Deidara could defend himself in taijutsu, but in his current state, the jinchūriki easily overpowered him. He managed to block a few punches with his remaining arm, but was too slow for the spinning kick that followed and hit him square in the face.

Instead of the satisfying sound of a breaking jaw, all Naruto heard was a squishy noise, as if he had stepped in mud. And he certainly did not expect to see his foot half-buried in 'Deidara's' left cheek. The bomber, or rather the clone, lost his coloration, becoming the same white as all the previous sculptures the original had created.

"How do you like that, Kyūbi?" came Deidara's mocking voice from behind a tree, as he stepped out of the forest's shade, grinning from ear to ear. "Not even your weird menagerie will get you out of this, hn!"

On cue, the centipedes that had been blown away by Genbu all gathered towards Naruto, and before long, they crawled and wrapped themselves around him and the clay clone, impending his movements further. The black tortoise was too slow to stop them all from burying its summoner under a mass of explosive clay.

"How are you going to escape, now, huh? Not even your lapdog's chakra will save you from my art this time around, and your Copycat buddy isn't here to save you! You're finished! All you can do now is scream and cry, as my art, in your final moments, leaves in you in complete awe! For my art is..." He slowly formed the confrontation sign, savoring the sight of his fine craft masking his opponent's ragged appearance.

"…an explosion! KATSU!"

The amalgamation of living clay started to glow, painting the small clearing a bright yellow instead of the faint silver of the moonlight, before its hell was unleashed.

Everything became a blinding white, and the sounds of the forest at night destroyed by the deafening inferno. It lasted only a moment, but when it subsided, it was like a lifetime had passed in what was once a tranquil clearing. All that was left was a fuming crater, and a couple of trees that had been strong enough to stand firmly attached to their soil, but reduced to a blackened husk of their former sturdy and living glory. The only form of life left was a madman covered in soot and ash laughing maniacally on his knees.

"AHAHAHAHAH! I DID IT! WHAT NOW? KYŪBI? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? NOTHING! YOU COULDN'T DO ANYTHING! ANYTHING BUT BECOME PART OF A BRIEF INSTANT OF UNADULTERATED BEAUTY! AND NOW YOU'RE DUST!"

**"You talk too much." **

Deidara jolted, and turned around, but the fatigue of a long, drawn out fight and the lack of rest following his and Sasori departure from Suna after the Kazekage's capture caught up to him. He was too slow to evade the scythe that fell on his left shoulder, taking his remaining arm from him. He howled in pain and fell on his rear, before he felt his back getting torn apart by an enormous, clawed paw, which sent him directly into the path of a horned creature.

He felt his ribs crack one after the other from the impact, and his back was once more tortured when it made contact with the burning charred bark of a tree.  
The bomber coughed, desperately trying to catch his breath, but only managed to spill out blood on the massacred earth between his knees.

**"Had enough?" **

Deidara sat still in shock, in spite of the pain he was in. He slowly raised his head, and the more his gaze elevated, the more his disbelief grew. Standing before him, looking down on him, dwarfing him by the amount of chakra pouring out his frame, was Uzumaki Naruto, alive, and not anymore harmed than he had been before their short bout. At his side were more of his unique summons: a white tiger, a serpentine dragon, and a cloaked, grim humanoid wielding a bloodied scythe.

And he was smirking down at him.

**"Surprised, aren't you? You shouldn't. You're not the only one who knows how to create a clone. And I'd say I'm pretty damn good at it."** His voice was even more distorted than it was before. He was radiating such an overwhelming amount of killing intent, than even a seasoned criminal like Deidara was starting to feel small next to him.

"Just... just kill me already..." the bomber muttered, letting his head fall down. He was defeated, even a proud man like him could admit it, considering his situation. He had been at a disadvantage, injured and not at his full chakra capacity, and he had bitten far more than he could chew. His own pride as a ninja and an artist had been his demise.

The jinchūriki raised a brow. **"Kill you? Oh yes, in a moment. But first, you and I will have a chat."  
**  
Deidara looked back at Naruto, and if his aura hadn't been enough to move him before, it certainly was now. The red chakra that was surrounding him was warping as if it was alive and conscious, and formed behind the blond Uzumaki, the imposing head of a snarling, monstrous fox.

Even in the presence of a bijū's consciousness, Deidara was still a shinobi. He may have been forcefully recruited in the Akatsuki, but he was not one to spill anything to anybody on his comrades, even if he couldn't stand the majority of them.

"Go fuck yourself... monster..." he coughed out, still out of breath. If he had expected to anger the half-possessed jinchūriki enough to kill him on the spot, he would have been sorely disappointed.

Naruto's smirk only grew. **"A monster, am I? Good to hear."** He bent down so that his face was right above Deidara's. **"A monster is but the personification of one's fear, isn't it?"** He brought his mouth closed to the defeated bomber's hear. **"This means that you are afraid of me, aren't you?" **

Sweat cascaded Deidara's forehead, and his eyes widened.

**"But fear won't be enough."** the jinchūriki continued. His smile expanded even more, threatening to split his face in two. **"Good thing that I was trained by Konoha's spy master. He may not look like it, but Ero-Sennin can go pretty damn far when the village's security is in question. Sometimes, the best bits of intel are found in the dirtiest places, and you have to sully your hands to get them."** Naruto kneeled in front of Deidara, setting himself comfortably. The missing-nin eyed him contemptibly as he was adjusting his position. The Uzumaki raised a hand in front of the bomber's face, the index finger solely pointing out of the closed fist. The red chakra around it visibly grew denser and denser as Naruto inched it closer to the middle of his fallen adversary's chest.

**"Did you ever get your tenkestu closed by a Hyūga?"** the jinchūriki asked. **"Feeling the chakra being forcefully injected into your system and stopping your own from coming out hurts like a bitch. Trust me on that, I speak from experience."** Naruto's finger grazed Deidara's chest, making the bomber hiss.

**"Now..."** the Uzumaki resumed, ignoring his victim.**"...can you imagine a chakra a hundred times more potent than a human's entering your body, destroying your pathways and burning you to a crisp from the inside? Can you imagine how painful that would be?"** His red eyes sparkled with sadistic mirth. **"Well, guess what? You're about to find out!"**

Naruto thrusted his finger forward, and Deidara screamed. He screamed like he never did before. His senses did not exist anymore. There was only pain, pain beyond belief, a malicious one, spreading ever so slowly, unstoppable, unescapable.

Naruto's sadistic smile was gone, leaving only a wall of total coldness in its stead. **"Now, are we going to talk? Or do I continue?" **

Deidara's response was an unarticulated wail of anguish, which the jinchūriki decided to interpret as a yes. He pulled his chakra-laced finger back, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the Akastuki member's chest.

**"Now, answer me."** Naruto demanded. **"Who's your boss? What is the deal with his eyes? And you better be truthful. I will now if you lie." **

Kurama's reaction, a few hours earlier, when his eyes had met the rippled ones of the apparent leader of the criminal organization, made him curious. The Fox had panicked, and anything that could send his furry tenant in such turmoil had to be extremely dangerous.

"Pein... his name..." murmured Deidara, all strength he had left having abandoned him. "Eyes... Rinnegan... just that... don't know..."

Naruto scowled, as prone to anger as he was, he was at the limit of his control over Kurama's chakra. His Negative Emotion Sensing did not detect any trace of deceit in the bomber's mind, only exhaustion and an abyss of pain.

**"Alright then. Now, onto what truly interests me..."**

The chakra around him increased in intensity, his eyes started to glow sinisterly, and his stone cold facade was replaced by a grimace of unending hatred and loathing.

**"Madara." **

Deidara just emitted a sound between a sigh and a cough, but the question in it was not lost to Naruto.

**"I know that Madara is among your buddies. Tell me where he is!"** the Uzumaki ordered, having lost any semblance of restraint.

"...dunno... what... about..." Deidara tried to whisper, before getting violently gripped by the remains of his shirt and dragged across the burned trunk.

**"JUST TELL ME WHERE HE IS! NOW! TELL ME!" **

The bomber couldn't answer, the grip Naruto had on him too strong to let anything out of his throat. In his rage, the jinchūriki slammed the missing-nin against the dead tree.

**"ANSWER ME!" **

His vision was going dark, a combination of the lack of oxygen and the blood he was losing from his missing left arm.

Naruto stopped his beating, snarling and looking at the half-conscious broken man he was holding. Deidara did not know a thing.

Without a word, the Uzumaki brutally snapped the bomber's neck, and threw him furiously on the ground. The corpse rag dolled to the center of the crater pitifully, with two bloody stumps for arms, and a mane of once golden hair covered in dirt and ash. Without an outlet for his fury, the Kyūbi's power slowly vanished, leaving behind an exhausted Naruto, who fell on his knees when the last crimson swirl shimmered out of existence. The three Masked Beasts around him disappeared, leaving him alone in the fuming crater at the center of the woods. His cerulean eyes, back to their original state, looked away from the dead bomber. Now that he was back to himself, he felt slightly disgusted with what he had done to get that little amount of information out of Deidara.

_'No, it was necessary, even if I don't like it now... what I'm disgusted about, is that I liked it then...'  
_  
He hated how Kurama's power had such an impact on his personality. To revel in acts like killing and torturing was so alien to him, and yet, when he used his tenant's chakra, he could feel himself enjoying it, and even craving for more. He loathed that feeling, even more so when he knew that, as Kurama had pointed out during their first face to face, was that the bijū's bloodlust was merely resonating with his own, hidden in the deepest and darkest corners of his mind. It scared him sometimes, when he realized how much he had unknowingly repressed and bottled up through the years.

He shook his head tiredly. Now was not the time to think about this. He had to make sure that Gaara and Kakashi were safe. He got up hesitantly, and took an uneasy first step. He waddled for a few more before managing into a somewhat assured, but slow walk, leaving behind him the ugly scar left by Deidara in the verdant forest.

As he left the destroyed clearing, he did not see the two, yellow eyes observing him from the ambient darkness under the trees.

* * *

**I was pretty excited to write that fight between Naruto and Deidara since day one. I hope you liked it!**

**'til next time! Don't forget to review!**


	10. Emergence

**Yellow. Sorry for the delay, but a combination of writer's block and personal issues are bad for creativity. You can thank Werejaguar for deblocking me, on top of editing the chapter and giving me the idea for the omake (she accepts waffles as donations).  
**

**Onward!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto ne m'appartient pas, ni le personnage, ni la licence. Si vous avez compris cette phrase, félicitations, vous parlez français.**

* * *

"You look like crap."

"You look like a freaking fish."

The two Narutos, one burnt all over leaning tiredly against a tree, and one drenched from head to toe while carrying an unconscious (and equally just as drenched) Gaara on his back, were standing at the edge of the woods from which the original Uzumaki just came out of, and now waited for Kakashi to meet up with them.

The true Naruto looked over at the Kazekage hunched over his replica's back. "How is he?"

"Alive. But still out cold." the clone answered, gazing over his shoulder at the still Ichibi jinchūriki worriedly. Without moving his head, his eyes shifted towards his creator, much colder than they were a second before. "Deidara?"

Naruto's eyes hardened in response. "Dead."

"Well, that's good news."

The two blonds turned simultaneously towards the familiar drawling voice of their sensei, who had just arrived, still wrapped in Tennyo's ribbons. He waved lazily at them, looking better than he had after using his Mangekyō Sharingan ability, but still pale, too much for it to be a simple effect of the silvery rays of the moon. "Yo."

"Sensei! Are you alright?" asked the original Naruto.

"I should be the one asking that." replied the Copy Ninja, taking his student's ragged appearance in. "But yes, I'm okay. This charming young lady made sure of that." he said happily, patting the summoned priestess on the shoulder affectionately.

The blonds sighed in unison at their teacher's antics, before the true Uzumaki signaled the Masked Beast that her job was done. Tennyo bowed her head silently before disappearing, throwing Kakashi, who had his hand on her shoulder when she vanished, off-balance.

"Playing hard to get, eh?" he commented amusedly, dusting his pants off. "You wouldn't happen to have her number?"

"You know that she's just a shard of the Kyūbi, right?" retorted Naruto, smiling.

The silver-haired jōnin shrugged it off. "Can't blame me for trying." His aloof demeanor fell for a moment, replaced by as much joy as the quarter of his face exposed to the world could convey. "How cute that summon of yours is aside, you saved me from some nasty burns back there, Naruto. And to take on a member of the Akatsuki alone is nothing short of impressive... if not reckless."

Kakashi placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, not in a joking way like he just did with Tennyo, but in a gesture that denoted his pride. A gesture that brought back to the blond cherished memories of a night two and a half years ago.

"Good job, Naruto." the cyclopean ninja said simply, giving his signature eye-smile.

The Uzumaki chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, his uneasiness over Deidara's demise forgotten for now.

"Hey, boss, it's not that I ain't appreciating the moment, since I'm you and stuff, but maybe we could get moving? Gaara's heavier than he looks." the clone chimed in, readjusting his unconscious passenger on his back.

"Yeah, you're right." Naruto agreed. He went to stand up without the tree to support him, and would have fallen face first to the ground if not for Kakashi, who wrapped an arm around his shoulders to help him.

"You're tired, don't overexert yourself." chided the Copy Ninja gently.

"Sorry, I should be fine in a few hours sensei, but..."

Kakashi dismissed his protest with a wave. "Don't worry, I've recuperated enough to help you for a bit. Kamui is a taxing technique, but I only had to use it once. A short nap and I'll be good. And besides..." his lone eyes sparkled with mirth, and his mask couldn't hide his grin. "...it's a welcome change not to be the one completely drain and on his way to being bed-ridden for a while after a tough fight."

* * *

The group of four eventually met up with the two kunoichi who had stayed behind to take care of Sasori in a vast clearing, not far from the border between the Lands of Wind and Rivers. The black night sky was slowly but surely getting painted a warm shade of purple as dawn was about to break, and the rising sun, barely peaking above the far away horizon, was giving its first, warm rays, and chasing the darkness away.

A fraction of the plain however, was not lightened up by the orange of the morning sun, but by the green of healing chakra, as Sakura was running her glowing hands over an unconscious Gaara.

The pinkette, though focused on her task, was still thinking over Sasori's last word with a mixture of excitement and slight disbelief. The late puppeteer had a spy amidst Orochimaru's servant, and she knew where and when they had been supposed to meet. It was the perfect occasion to finally locate Sasuke and, she hoped, even bring him back to Konoha. In a matter of weeks, Team Seven would be reunited once more.

Chiyo, on the other hand, was as silent as a tomb, a combination of exhaustion from the hard fight she just won, the lingering effects of Sasori's violent poison, and sadness over the loss of her grandson. But with this sorrow came a feeling of relief, for in Sasori's last moment, Chiyo had not seen the cold monster he had become as a missing-nin, but the young, melancholic child, eager to be reunited with his parents after a long absence. For the briefest of instant, they had been a family again.

The last two member of the Rescue party were silent, patiently waiting for Sakura to finish her examination. The chakra surrounding her hand eventually disappeared, as did the soft green light and the low humming noise it emitted. The pinkette wiped the sweat off her forehead with her forearm; even a simple task such as that took its toll on her near depleted chakra reserve after the grueling battle she came out of a few hours ago. She turned towards her teacher and teammate, her eyes full of a bittersweet blend of relief and worry.

"He's in a coma." Sakura said bluntly. One of the habits she had taken from Tsunade was her brutal honesty. Medic-nin very often did not have the time to tiptoe around their patients, and withholding information or downplaying the gravity of one's injury or sickness to them or to their family rarely did them any good in the end. "It seems that it's been provoked by a severe case of chakra exhaustion, and yet Gaara's reserves are almost full. It probably has to do with that strange ritual the Akatsuki put him put through and whatever they did to the Ichibi."

"We stopped the Akatsuki from completely sucking the bijū out of Gaara, but they stole a large amount of his chakra nonetheless." stated Kakashi. "If we had arrived later than we did..."

"Gaara would be dead." finished Naruto somberly. "That's what happens when a jinchūriki loses his bijū."

The blond knelt beside his friend and took out of his pouch the same scroll he had used the day before to break through the barrier blocking the entrance to the Akatsuki's hideout, and unsealed from it his fūinjutsu kit.

"I need to see how bad Gaara's seal was screwed." Naruto said while taking off the Kazekage's flack jacked. "The Ichibi might be weak for now, but he'll regenerate eventually, and a weak seal won't be-"

Whatever the Uzumaki was about to say immediately died in his mouth when he took in the sealing array drawn on Gaara's abdomen. It was as damaged as he expected, considering the amount of chakra forcefully drained from the One-Tailed Tanuki inside, but degradation aside, what shook him to the core, both as a sealer ailing from the Uzumaki clan and as a fellow jinchūriki, was how weak the initial seal was in the first place.

"Hey, old hag..." he growled, turning to face the target of his resurfacing ire "You told me you knew a bit about fūinjutsu right?" He pointed brusquely towards the offending inky array. "If that's true and you were actually the one who sealed the Ichibi inside Gaara, then what the fuck is this?"

Naruto's teammates were taken aback by his violent reaction, but if Chiyo was, she did not let it show, though her already tired expression grew crestfallen. "An Evil Sanctuary Seal."

"Oh, is it? Because if I were to wipe my ass and plaster it all over Gaara's gut, it'd look more like one that whatever the fuck this is!"

The elder kunoichi closed her eyes and sighed woefully. She had suspected that her seal might have been one of the causes of Gaara's torment, as no other jinchūriki of the Ichibi before him had been so affected by the bijū despite the way Suna had treated them all in the past.

To have this suspicions confirmed this way, by another jinchūriki no less, hurt more than she thought it would.

"Half of the mental blockers are not even there, and the ones that are aren't even written properly! And this matrix looks like it's been made by an Academy student!" the blond kept on, spitting each word at the old puppeteer.

"Stop that, Naruto!" Sakura intervened, thoroughly offended that her teammate could speak like that to the woman she had come to respect deeply during their battle against Sasori. "You can't talk to Chiyo-bā-sama like that! She helped us rescue the Kazekage, and she fought against her own grandson! You can't just blame her for everything that happened to Gaara!"

Coming out of a hard fight and tired both physically and mentally, Naruto was not at his best at the moment, and neither was his patience: it was growing thin, rapidly so.

"And what would you know, Sakura?" he snapped back, too unnerved to think about the words he said. "Do you have a bijū sealed inside you? Did you ever had a whole village fear and loathe you for something you have no control over?"

This made the pinkette recoil, as it brought back memories of long ago, the very first time she had realized that there were more to Naruto than she thought, more than an irritating and loud goofball. And today, her first peek into the bitterness the Uzumaki held in the depths of his heart sent her back to that day when she had thought she knew both her teammates. The exact words were not spoken, but their meaning rang loud for Sakura.

_"You're annoying."_

Naruto did not notice the effect his retort had on the pinkette, his attention having shifted on the motionless jinchūriki laying at his feet once more.

"I can't start to imagine what kind of mental torture Gaara was subjected to by the Ichibi, with such a faulty seal. Thinking back on it, his old murdering tendencies were certainly not just a consequence of his old man's treatment. Even awake, it must have been a constant struggle for him to not just lash out at the first person he crossed."

He crouched down and carefully slid his arms under Gaara's body, ignoring the pain still present in his aching muscle, and rose back up holding his friend tightly, before breaking the small square he and the rest of the rescue party had formed around the unconscious Kazekage.

"I'm going to try and fix that mess." Naruto said, looking at Kakashi over his shoulder. "I'm going to take advantage of Shukaku's weakened state to modify the seal, but even so it'll take me a few hours. I will need calm."

The emphasis on his last word was not lost to the Copy Ninja. Sighing, he gave his accord with a silent nod. The Uzumaki shot one last glare at Chiyo before he took off towards the horizon and the rising sun.

The rest of the rescue party was left in an uncomfortable silence. Both kunoichi hadn't uttered a word, even half an hour after Naruto had left them to restore Gaara's seal. Kakashi, who had taken out of his pouch, thankfully unscathed from the battle against Deidara, his recently acquired Icha Icha to wait for the blond to come back, hadn't been as touched by Naruto's words, but guilt had nonetheless reared its ugly head in his chest.

_'Even the kindest of spirit has his limits. Naruto isn't a saint, he never was, but he was naive. And that, he is no more. He won't bother wearing a mask again. That will take some time to get used to...'_ the Copy Ninja's droopy eye briefly left the page it was on, fixing itself on the pinkette who had hers on the now distant Uzumaki's back. _'...and you're only starting to realize this now, Sakura.'_

Kakashi sighed, looking up at the morning sky. Despite the tension lingering in the air, it was certainly peaceful. Not a sound but the wind blowing gently, caressing the grass and making it rustle. Dewdrops shone as they fell from the tip of the blades, mirroring the vanishing stars up above.

A perfect setting, for a literary pause after a successful mission. Nothing to spoil that well-earned tranquility, except a cloud of dust coming from the North West. A cloud of dust that was getting closer exceptionally fast.

It was but a few yards away when two very familiar silhouettes became noticeable amidst the swirls of dust. If that wasn't enough for Kakashi to recognize them, the tallest one's voice boomed up clearly for the whole country to hear.

"YOSH! KAKASHI, MY ETERNAL RIVAL! WE FINALLY CAUGHT UP TO YOU!"

The Copy Ninja barely had the time to sigh again before Gai and Lee reached the group of three, followed shortly after by Neji and Tenten, who were noticeably sweatier than their spandex-wearing teammate and leader. The last to arrive was an exhausted Pakkun, who promptly let himself fall on his belly with a laborious sigh at Kakashi's feet.

"Huh... Mission... huh... accomplished, Ka... huh... kashi."

The silver-haired jōnin pated the ninken's head with a smile. "Good job, Pakkun. Get some rest."

Kakashi didn't have to tell him twice. Not a second after, the dog was gone in a poof, leaving behind him a small cloud of smoke.

"The youthful diligence of your trusted summons is inspiring as always, my dear rival!" said Gai enthusiastically. "We made good time, and would have caught up to you earlier if we hadn't encounter the clone of an Akatsuki member. But now that our two teams are together, there's nothing that'll stop us from rescuing Kazekage-sama!"

The cyclopean ninja rubbed the back of his head in an embarrassed fashion, a gesture passed down from master to student since the days of the Shodai. "Yeah... about that. I didn't want to mention it in front of Pakkun, he would have taken it badly after making such an effort to find and guide you here, but... we kinda already saved him."

Team Gai's members' eyes threatened to pop out of their socket; Gai himself looked the most incredulous of the four, with his jaw hanging low in disbelief. "...what?"

"We saved the Kazekage." Kakashi repeated. "The mission is a success."

The Copy Ninja went back on the events of the day before: how they defeated Itachi's doppelgänger, how Naruto managed to break through the Five Seal Barrier, and how he and the blond had fought and ultimately defeated Deidara. Chiyo gave a brief summary of her and Sakura's fight against Sasori to complete Kakashi's reciting, before falling back into a morose silence.

"As expected from my Eternal Rival's team! An exceptional display of Youth!" Gai bellowed as soon as his friend was finished.

"Yes!" Lee joined in the deafening praises. "Naruto-kun showed that his hard-work paid off in a most cunning and impressive way! He truly is a genius of effort!"

"What Naruto did was impressive indeed, countering such an advanced sealing technique and taking on his own an Akatsuki member, but it was also incredibly reckless." Neji pointed out disapprovingly. "His technique could have backfired, and there could've been more than two members of the Akatsuki physically present in that cave."

"Perhaps," Kakashi admitted. "But we were on a timer. Extracting a bijū is lethal for its jinchūriki. Waiting for you four may have been the safest option, but it is likely that Gaara would have died before you reached us. You also have to take into account the relation between him and Naruto."

"My dear rival is right, Neji. Our mission was to save the Kazekage, but for Naruto, he is before that a friend and a fellow jinchūriki. I bet you would've shown the same youthful passion had it been one of your teammates or your cousins in Gaara-sama's place!" Gai exclaimed.

Neji took a moment to imagine himself in Naruto's place, with the lives of Lee, Tenten, Hinata and Hanabi on the line while each ticking second could very well be their last.

"I see your point, and knowing Naruto, I guess it was inevitable." the Hyūga conceded. It was at this moment he noticed that the subject of their conversation and their mission's objective were absent. "But since we're talking about him, where is Naruto? And the Kazekage?"

Kakashi hesitated for a second before answering, a hesitation that Neji's trained eyes picked up, despite the older jōnin's mask and countenance.

"He's restoring the seal containing the Ichibi inside Gaara; it's a complicated process, he moved away to avoid any possible distraction."

It was a believable explanation to the blonde's absence, but Neji guessed that there was something else to it. He had remarked that the two kunoichi accompanying Kakashi looked pensive, out of it: Chiyo was looking down at the ground, as if she was deeply ashamed, and Sakura had her gaze locked on a certain point on the horizon, and it took the loud praises of Lee, who was congratulating her for defeating Sasori in such a 'youthful and inspiring fashion', shouted directly in her ear to snap her out of her trance.

"Tenten, don't you notice something strange?" the Hyūga asked his only sane teammate in a whisper.

"Yeah, those three look kinda gloomy, particularly Sakura and the old Sand kunoichi." the weapon user agreed. "Do you think something happened to the Kazekage or to Naruto that they're not telling us?"

"No, I do not think so. Kakashi-sensei would be alarmed if that were the case, and wouldn't have allowed Naruto to take some distance to repair the seal containing the Ichibi."

"You're right, but then why does Sakura looks like she's been slapped? And the Suna kunoichi, she's almost on the verge of tears!" Tenten murmured.

"Something must have happen before we arrived between the four of them. Kakashi-sensei seemed somewhat uncomfortable when he told us why Naruto was absent." the Hyūga guessed.

"You think they had a quarrel? That's Naruto we're talking about."

Neji's face became grave. "I know, Tenten, but he has changed. We all saw it, three days ago, and I'm not just talking about his power. There's something off about the way he behaves, even outside of battle."

Tenten took a worried glance at her teammate. "You think it has something to do with the Kyūbi?"

The Hyūga shrugged. "Maybe. I believe Jiraiya-sama when he says that Naruto has a good amount of control over its chakra, but I cannot help but be wary of the Fox."

"Are you scared of Naruto?" the kunoichi asked hesitantly.

Neji didn't answer, and instead turned his gaze towards the direction Sakura had looked at earlier. Was he scared of the Uzumaki? No. He owed him too much to ever let his faith in him waver in the slightest. Naruto had an unbendable will of steel, Neji was well-placed to know that. It was this very will that had shattered his previous belief in fate and destiny and freed him from his misplaced resentment.

No, he was not scared of Naruto. But he was scared of the Kyūbi. The chakra he had felt and seen when spectating Team Seven's bell test three days prior or even way back during their match in the final phase of the Chūnin had felt so powerful, so full of malice that even a non-sensory ninja like himself had felt it. How could he not be in frightful awe of something that was so above the power of a mere human being? To think that Naruto subjected himself willingly to such an oppressive feeling whenever he called upon the Fox's power only reinforced Neji's admiration of the blond.

But a strength such as that one couldn't let someone even as righteous as the Uzumaki unaffected. Neji had to suppress a shudder imagining what a too long exposure to such an unimaginable amount of power could do.

No, he wasn't scared of Naruto.

He was scared for him.

* * *

The blond cursed as yet again his hand quivered, shifting the brush, and ruining the sealing matrix he was trying, and failing, to draw for the third time.

He was more tired than he had originally thought. The only reason Naruto was even able to stand was the unnatural stamina he inherited from his mother and the enhanced healing factor that came with being Kurama's host. But even with those gift, the whiskered Uzumaki's body had its limits, and the fact that he could barely raise his arm without having it shake almost uncontrollably was a clear sign of his current state of exhaustion. Carrying Gaara around had not assisted his situation, only making it all the more difficult to hold a brush and restore the Evil Sanctuary Seal containing Shukaku.

_'If that shitty doodle can be called a seal.'_ Naruto thought angrily. It still baffled him that Chiyo could have messed it up so badly. The Evil Sanctuary Seal was not a particularly complex one, and though it certainly wasn't as strong as Naruto's Eight Trigrams, it should have been enough to contain the Ichibi without allowing him to torment or influence Gaara as much as he had in the past.

From his short encounter with the One-Tailed Raccoon and the few tales he'd managed to pull out of Kurama about the other bijū, Naruto knew that Shukaku was a sly creature. His previous jinchūriki were known for being unable to sleep, lest their tenant snatch control of their body and manifest himself in his full form without any form of restrain from the unfortunate host. Deprived of rest, the jinchūriki's mind were traumatized; a vicious circle that made the already strong influence of the Raccoon even harder to resist.

But even so, the Evil Sanctuary Seal should have been enough to keep Gaara relatively sane. It was one of the very few seals that the Uzumaki clan had shared with the rest of the world, designed to imprison large creatures such as summons or chakra constructs. It was not ideal in the present case, as a bijū was more powerful than the intended targets of the seal, but should have at the very least prevented a too severe case of influence or possession.

Gaara's seal, however, was incomplete. And even if Chiyo's lack of skill in fūinjutsu couldn't be held as the sole culprit of the red-head's descent in darkness, it was still inexcusable, in Naruto's opinion.

Just thinking about it again threatened to send him into another fit of rage, which would only make his task harder than it already was. He wouldn't have an outlet this time, like Sakura had been when she had spoken up to defend Chiyo. The Uzumaki felt slightly remorseful for snapping at her like he had, though it did not make what he had said any less true. She wasn't in a position to judge the old puppeteer; she hadn't suffered the scorn of her village, nor been deceived by a malevolent entity for most of her childhood.

She couldn't understand. Nobody could, aside from Naruto himself. And he had to admit, that Gaara had it worse than he had.

The whiskered teen shook his head before taking a deep breath. He needed to calm down. He sat in a lotus position and closed his eyes, in an attempt to relax his sore muscles and empty his wildly running mind.

If his anger was slowly subdued by his efforts, lingering questions coming from what he had seen and heard the day before remained, questions Naruto knew were of vital importance, and that only one person could answer.

He reopened his eyes. He wasn't sitting in the middle of a tranquil plain, facing the rising sun anymore. He was in front of the massive cage containing Kurama, in the middle of the vast sewer complex that was the physical representation of his mind.

The Fox did not react to his arrival. He was laying in his usual position, front limbs crossed, his massive head resting at the intersection of his hands, but he was not looking at his jinchūriki. Instead, Kurama was glaring, straight in front of him at nothing in particular, with his fangs barred and emitting a growl that would have shaken the Earth had the Nine-Tails been in the real world.

"Looks like you have a lot on your mind too, furball." called Naruto jovially, ignoring his tenant's fool mood.

Not one hair of the bijū's fiery pelt moved, but his hateful gaze did shift from the back of the massive room representing the Uzumaki's mindscape to the blond.

**"Do not call me that, and quit being so painfully chirpy. Now is not the time to be joking."**

"Why not? We saved Gaara and killed two members of the Akatsuki. That counts as a victory in my book."

**"The survival of that crazy raccoon and the death of two maggots is nothing compared to what was in that cave!"** the Fox snarled. **"The situation is much more dire than we originally thought! Madara was already enough of a threat alone, but this..."**

"That's precisely why I came here in the first place." Naruto said. "What was that statue that scared you so much it almost made me lost control? And what's the Rinnegan?"

Kurama's growl died down, though his glare lost none of its intensity. **"It's a very long and a very old story, one your kind forgot a long time ago. One I don't think any human being deserves to know, if I had a say in the matter, for every day you hairless apes spit on the memory of its hero by murdering each other gleefully."**

"Whoever that hero was, it's obvious you admire him." commented the blond.

**"Yes, and so should you, as he was, and still is, what you and every other representative of your worthless race should've strived to even come close to. But you humans only think of him as a myth or a God of yore. Though that last one wouldn't be too far from the truth; if one being has ever had the right to be worshipped, it was him. The rest are empty idols that your kind venerated to satiate their greed without feeling an ounce of guilt or alleviate their primeval fears."**

Naruto was astonished to hear Kurama speak in such a reverent tone. Never before the Fox had shown any form of admiration, let alone respect for anything, aside from his own power. Nothing was sacred for the bijū, aside from that supposed God.

**"The only thing that your legends got right are his title, and the fact that he was the creator of what is today known as ninjutsu."** Kurama continued. **"Your perverted master evoked him, during one of your lessons."**

It took a moment for the Uzumaki to remember that particular information amongst the memories of the many history lesson he had with Jiraiya. The Sage had been adamant to not only train his body, but his spirit as well.

_'We can learn a lot from those who came before us,'_ he could still hear the Sannin say. _'From their achievements and their failures, so we can strive to one day surpass them and succeed where they failed. And catching girls with your wits can be just as fun as catching them with your looks!'_

Naruto shuddered slightly, remembering that particular moment, though one specific name that came in this particular lesson emerged. "The hero you're talking about, is he the Sage of the Six Paths?"

**"Glad to see that all that work to improve your memory wasn't in vain."** Kurama retorted sardonically, though he still nodded in affirmation. **"Yes, I am indeed talking about the Sage of the Six Paths. The greatest man who ever lived... and my father."**

That made Naruto do a double-take. "Your... what?"

**"He was the one who gave life to us bijū. He never considered himself as our master or summoner; he called us his children, and as such I refer to him as my father."**

"Oh... ok."

Naruto felt embarrassed. He had never given much thought on Kurama's origins, even though he had tried to ask him about his life prior to the fateful fight between Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama. He had been met with either violent rebuttal, or a wall of silence. Hearing about the Fox's birth, the very being who constantly referred to himself as 'the living incarnation of hatred and rage' or 'the harbinger of devastation' was extremely weird for him, perhaps because he had never considered that an entity as powerful as Kurama could have been, eons ago, young and perhaps just as innocent as a newborn baby.

Just glancing at his tenant was making Naruto uncomfortable: the ever present scowl on his vulpine face had lessened considerably, and the undying anger in his eyes had dulled, replaced by longing and melancholy.

It was unsettling, alien, and yet, watching something other than ire and contempt marring Kurama's face was also somewhat fascinating. But Naruto needed his answers. He coughed awkwardly before speaking again.

"He was obviously someone very important to you, but that doesn't tell me what exactly is so terrible about that strange statue and the Rinnegan."

The Fox was jolted out of his reminiscence by his host voice. Scorn was quick to find his way back on his face before he answered. **"That statue is actually the husk of a creature as old as this world, a monster whose power was so great that even my father, who fought it alongside his brother, couldn't kill it. He could only defeat it by sealing its chakra inside himself, becoming the very first jinchūriki, and its body into a massive stone prison that became the moon. This monstrosity had many titles, all more frightening or disgusting than the others, but it was universally called the Jūbi."**

Sorrow returned in Kurama's eyes as he continued. **"My father, when he sensed that his final hour was coming, decided to shatter the beast's chakra, to prevent its resurrection after his death, into nine fragments. With his formidable powers, he breathed life and consciousness into each of those fragments, thus creating the nine bijū."**

If anybody else had told Naruto this story, he would've certainly called them a liar, or just bought it as a fairy tale for children. Considering who he was talking with, the blond was willing to believe that everything he was hearing was true and not just a fable.

**"My father's ability to manipulate life itself came from his eyes. The most powerful dōjutsu in existence, far above the pesky Byakugan and the cursed Sharingan."**

The Fox did not need to finish that thought, Naruto could very well guess for himself where his tenant was going. "The Rinnegan."

**"Yes."** the bijū confirmed. **"Now you understand why I reacted so violently when you entered the Akatsuki's hideout. Two heirlooms of the late Sage of the Six Paths, which, for the better, should have never resurfaced on Earth, have fallen into the hands of Madara's goons."**

Naruto was silent, taking in everything he had just heard. The gravity of it all was slowly but surely starting to dawn on him: the Akatsuki were in possession of two relics that had belonged to a man whose power was so great he was believed to be a legend or worshipped as a god; one of them being the sources of that power.

A coldness the Uzumaki had not felt in a long time crept its way in his body, imprisoning his mind and his breath for an instant.

Dread.

The feeling passed as quickly as it appeared, leaving in its wake only ice that would melt slowly. Naruto met his tenant's eyes, who for once held not contempt, but solemnity.

"...what are we gonna do?"

Kurama grimaced. **"Nothing."**

The blonde's eyes widened, incredulous. "What do you mean, nothing?"

**"I mean that there's nothing we can do as of now!"** the Fox bellowed, exasperated. The prospective of being powerless was not any more appealing to him as it was for Naruto. **"We don't know who that man who bears the Rinnegan is, nor do we know where he is. And even if we did, you probably wouldn't stand a chance against him."**

The Uzumaki groaned in frustration. He hated to admit it, but Kurama was right; they'd have to stick to their original plan: wait for the Akatsuki to show themselves in daylight, and annihilated them.

Not that it had sat well with jinchūriki and bijū in the first place: Kurama profoundly despised playing the role of the prey, and Naruto had inherited the battling spirit of his ancestors of Whirlpool as well as the predatory instincts of his tenant. However, purchasing the criminal organization in the shadows it thrived in would only lead to their demise, even the mighty Fox knew as much.

Staying idle also meant that the Akatsuki could do as they pleased and had the opportunity to strike first. There was little Naruto could do to stop them in their hunt for the other bijū: even saving Gaara had been a close call, despite Suna being Konoha's ally and directly asking them for help in retrieving their Kazekage. Saving the other jinchūriki, disseminated amongst the other villages, some whose relations with Konoha were tense if not straight up cold, like Iwa and Kumo, would be impossible.

Dejected, Naruto sighed, passing his hand through his hair. Despite his recent victory, the future didn't seem so bright. He felt powerless. The only thing he could do was to restore and enhance Gaara's seal.

The blonde's eyes widened suddenly as an idea came to him. Kurama noticed it immediately, and recognized his host's expression. **"What are you thinking about?"**

Naruto grinned and revealed what he had in mind to his reluctant partner.

* * *

He opened his eyes, finding himself back in the real world, sitting in the middle of the plain, Gaara laying still in front of him. The smile he had in his mindscape was still on his face, but it died immediately when he noticed that he was not alone anymore with the unconscious jinchūriki.

"I thought I was clear. I need calm, I don't want any of you standing around when I'm working on the seal. That statement was directed at you in particular, old hag."

Chiyo did not react to Naruto's jab. She just kept starring sorrowfully at Gaara's face. She eventually faced the scowling Uzumaki, determination disputing the shame marring her features.

"I want to assist you in correcting my mistake."

Naruto scoffed. "I don't see how you could help me. It'll be hard enough on my own, I don't need you screwing it again after I'm done."

"I realize my skills in fūinjutsu leave much to be desired." the puppeteer admitted. "But this is my mistake, and as such I should be the one correcting it, or at the very least, have a hand in its correction."

The jinchūriki's scowl lessened as he eyed Chiyo thoughtfully. He was still riled by his recent discovery, and was tempted to refuse her assistance plainly. He had calmed down enough to think rationally, however, and his Negative Emotion Sensing easily picked up the sincerity and intensity of her regret and self-loathing.

Naruto seized her up for a minute. To her credit, Chiyo did not flinch under his icy stare, only challenging it with steeled resolve. The blond sighed, and relented with that sigh, making the puppeteer smile lightly in relief.

"Alright, but," he warned, raising a finger for good effect. "I expect you to follow every single one of my directions. This Evil Sanctuary Seal will be text book perfect, and nothing else. You better not fuck anything up. Clear?"

"Clear." the elder kunoichi replied, an enthusiastic note coming back in her dull voice.

She kneeled down in front of Naruto, on Gaara's left side, and rolled up her sleeves. She then patiently waited for the Uzumaki to begin, like a student waiting to write his master's lesson. The sight of a veteran such as Chiyo waiting for his instructions was a bit unsettling. He had never really been in a situation where he was the one in command, and for him to direct a shinobi more experienced than him as a first time actually made him nervous.

"Before we begin, there's something I want to try with Shukaku." Naruto said. "He should be extremely weak at the moment, and even with the seal in the state it's in right now, he won't be able to retaliate. If I succeed, Gaara might become stronger than he's ever been."

Chiyo's eyes widened at the perspective. "May I ask what it is you have in mind?"

**_'One of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard, and yet I've been sealed inside you from day one, and in your mother for a good decade before that. That is a lot of time to hear extremely dumb stuff, and yet today, you might just have taken the cake. I do not know if I should be impressed, sad, or scared, knowing that you might outdo yourself once again.'_** came Kurama's voice, making Naruto roll his eyes inwardly.

_'It's worth a try. And it's not like I'll lose anything if I fail.'_ the blond responded, before answering Chiyo's question. "I want to talk to him."

The puppeteer's mouth gaped slightly. "Why would you that? What do you think you'll achieve? The Ichibi is a mad beast, only driven by its thirst for blood."

_**'I agree. Shukaku is completely insane. His only redeeming quality is his more than understandable hate for the human race. Talking to him is useless.'**_

"I just want to try and convince him to help Gaara like the Kyūbi is helping me." Naruto replied. "The Akatsuki don't take the time to make a distinction between the bijū and their jinchūriki. We might not get along very well, but we should fight this threat together."

Chiyo looked at Naruto in awe, before chuckling. The confused blond raised a brow in her direction. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, do not worry, young one. I am not mocking you." she said. "You just reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago; the very first jinchūriki of Suna, Bunpuku."

"Really? And why do I remind you of him?" the blond asked, curious.

"Because he did not saw the bijū as just another source of power to be put to use, as many did, do, and will. He was feared and despised, much like Gaara was, and was imprisoned for his whole life. Many villagers, and even ninja from Suna believed him to be Shukaku in the flesh, and not just his container."

Chiyo's gaze was still fixed on Naruto, but it was noticeable that she wasn't actually looking at him. She was lost in her memories.

"I was tasked to be the one to guard and feed him once, when I was a genin." she reminisced. "I expected him to be every bit of the monster I heard people mutter about. I was shocked when I actually met him for the first time. He was simply a man, but a kind and wise one he was! Unable to hold the slightest hint of resentment or bitterness within him, even towards the Ichibi, who was cause of his lifetime of captivity."

Her focus shifted back on Naruto as she smiled warmly. "Your willingness to fight alongside your tenant reminded me of Bunpuku. Of all the things he told me, and that I've forgot after so many years."

Naruto was touched to be compared to such a man, even more so since it came from someone he had insulted and berated earlier. "Heh... thanks, though I ain't nearly as good as that man was. I don't think I have it in me the ability to forgive so easily. Not anymore."

"You're saying that, and yet you are willing to fight alongside the bijū that is the source of your torment, and even to try and convince Shukaku to help Gaara." Chiyo pointed out.

"It is more out of necessity that I'm doing this. The Akatsuki is too much of a threat." Naruto replied. "Though in the Kyūbi's case, well, I discovered that there's more to him than meets the eye. It might be the same for the Ichibi; I'm just about to find out."

His hand started glowing with a mixture of his own and Kurama's chakra as he held it above Gaara's stomach. Blue and red sparkled simultaneously to emit a vibrant purple that reflected on the black ink, making the damaged seal glow softly in resonance.

_'Are you sure this is going to work? I don't want to mess up Gaara anymore than he already is.'_ Naruto asked his tenant in thought.

**_'No, I am not, and to be frank I do not care if it doesn't.' _**Kurama snapped back.**_ 'I only theorized, since you are so adamant to go through with that stupid idea of yours, that if my and Shukaku's chakra echoed with each other, we might be able to enter Gaara's mindscape.'_**

The blond groaned inwardly, and would've entered into one of his common argument with the Fox had he not felt a sudden, but weak pull at the back of his mind. It was similar, yet different from the ones Naruto would reach for whenever he wanted to talk with Kurama. It seemed distant, as if it did not belong in his head.

The Uzumaki did not hesitate, and let his mind follow that foreign node. His slip into the immaterial world was rougher, harder than his usual smooth and quick entries into his mindscape, but his consciousness was nonetheless entering another realm, of that he was certain.

Chiyo was observing with amazement as Naruto made contact with the Ichibi within Gaara. The blond waved slowly at her, as if he was about to fall asleep.

"See you when I get back."

And with that, his blurry eyes closed, and his head slumped.

* * *

**Omake: Blackmail**

Kakashi was enjoying his last day-off before coming back in service as Team Seven's leader in the usual way the Copy Ninja enjoyed himself whenever he had time for himself: by reading his favorite erotic series while strolling around the village. His lecture was particularly absorbing today, as he had yet to finish the brand new Icha Icha issue that Naruto had offered him two days ago.

_'Jiraiya-sama truly outdid himself... oh my, Hikari is such a naughty girl!'_ he thought, letting a perverted giggle escape his masked lips.

"There you are, Kakashi!"

The silver-ninja groaned, but looked up from his book nonetheless to meet two familiar faces. "Oh, if it isn't Kurenai and Asuma."

The teachers of Team Eight and Ten wore mischievous smiles that set the alarm in the Copy Ninja's mind. If that wasn't enough, Kurenai was very obviously hiding something behind her back.

"We came to ask you something, Kakashi." the kunoichi said in a sweet voice.

"And you're in no position to refuse us, buddy." added Asuma.

Kakashi had an inkling about what the couple wanted from him. "If it's for a ménage à trois, I'm not really interested." he said, trying to buy some time for him to come up with a way to escape.

The Sarutobi started to cough uncontrollably, while the Genjutsu Mistress turned red in both embarrassment and indignation. "That's... that's not it at all, you pervert!"

"Oh." he replied idly, eyeing his surrounding in search of a decoy. "Then what is it?"

"We want to see your face." answered Asuma, still coughing.

_'As expected.'_ Kakashi thought, rolling his lone grey eye. "That's not the first time you've asked me this. What makes you think I will actually show it to you this time?"

"Because..." started Kurenai, her teasing smile back in full force. "…we'll show this to the other jōnin if you don't!"

The thing she had hidden behind her back turned to be a photograph of Naruto and Kakashi, hugging each other in a very youthful fashion just before the Bell Test had started. The Copy Ninja's eye widened in terror at the thought of the picture going public. He was sure Genma and the rest of the Hokage's guard platoon wouldn't let him down if they saw it. And Anko...

No, it was too horrible to even think about it. He didn't have a choice.

It was at this moment he remembered a particular mission he had went on with Team Seven, back when Sasuke was still in the village. His student had been hell bent on seeing for themselves what their sensei actually looked like behind his infamous mask. He remembered how, in the end, he had tricked them.

Yes, that could work.

"So you two want to see what's under my mask, is that it?" he asked, trying to trap the blackmailers.

"Yep!" Kurenai and Asuma said in unison, sure of their victory.

"Are you really sure you want to see what's under my mask?"

"Yes! Go ahead, take it off!"

"You are absolutely sure you want to see what's under my mask?"

"Stop stalling Kakashi, and show us already!"

"You promise me that if I show you what's under my mask, you'll give me that picture?"

"YES, WE PROMISE! NOW SHOW US WHAT'S UNDER YOUR MASK!"

Kakashi smirked. He had them. "Alright then. Under my mask, there's..."

Asuma and Kurenai leaned in, eyes wide in expectation. That was it. They had done what nobody before them had. They were about to see what Hatake Kakashi looked like under his infamous mask.

The Copy Ninja suddenly took it off, revealing...

"...another mask!"

Taking advantage of his colleagues' disbelief, Kakashi took hold of Kurenai's photograph and burned it to cinders with a low-powered Fire Jutsu. He waved cheekily at the two wanna-be heroes and left with a Body-Flicker.

"He... he got us." murmured Asuma in defeat, coming back from his shocked state.

"WE WERE THAT CLOSE!" howled Kurenai in an uncharacteristically high-pitched voice. "WE WERE THAT CLOSE TO FINALLY SEE IT!"

"Hey, it's okay." her not-so-secret lover tried to calm her down. "You made a copy of that picture, right?"

Kurenai simply looked blankly at the bearded Sarutobi, before starting to bash her head against a nearby wall. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid..."

Meanwhile, in a nearby street, Kakashi chuckled to himself as he continued his interrupted reading, the loud noises of a skull hitting concrete accompanied by frustrated groans music to his ears.

* * *

**This chapter was originally supposed to be the last of this arc, but seeing as it would have been really freaking long if I included both Naruto's meeting with Shukaku and Gaara inside their mindscape and Team Seven and Team Gai's departure from Suna, I've decided to cut it there. That'll mean that if everything goes well, the next chapter should be released... relatively soon. Key word relatively.**

**'Til next time, and don't forget to review!**


	11. A Reluctant Raccoon

**Fashionably late, as usual. University is rather time consuming, and so were The Witcher and Bloodborne's extension, but oh so worth it. I can finally realize my dream of being a space cauliflower molesting people with my sticky parasitic tentacles, or wielding MY GUIDING MOONLIGHT again!**

**Speaking of dreams realized, GUTS GOT OFF THE BOAT. IT HAPPENED. HE DID IT. BASED MIURA THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FREEING US OF THIS NIGHTMARE that you put us in in the first place but WHO CARES GUTS GOT OFF THE BOAT.**

**On another subject that will probably be of more importance to all of you my silky smooth readers, this story may or may not be put on hiatus for an undeterminated amount of time: next semester will be more intense, and following it I will be doing work internship overseas - most likely in Ireland - for at least six weeks. Which means that the next chapter will be released either sometimes in January or February if I stop being lazy and partake in hot tentacle molestation in Bloodborne, OR in June or July. And if I somehow don't lose my way and write the next chapter before I leave, the next one after will not be released until summer. This does NOT mean that this story is discontinued or that I'm out of ideas and need time to think over the plot. I'm just telling you guys in advance.**

**And since I (hopefully) got your attention here, I'd like to thank you all guys for your support; for following and favouriting this story - we broke the 1,000 and 800 marks in both HOLY SHIT - and for your reviews and your PMs. You're awesome. I wanna give you all a squishy cosmic hug, or a tap of MY TRUE MENTOR on your shoulders if you're not into that.**

**That's about it, now onward!**

**Disclaimer: WHO CARES GUTS GOT OFF THE BOAT.**

* * *

"One's mindscape reflects what one holds in the depths of his heart."

That is what Kurama had told Naruto when the blond had asked him why his mind was 'such a freaking dump, ya know.'

The dark sewer system that represented Naruto's inner world was a manifestation of years of scorn and isolation: a sordid place, that the Uzumaki never wanted to remain in for too long, pushed by an instinctive feeling of repulsion to get as far away from it as he could.

When he opened his eyes to find himself in a similar decor of flooded catacombs, the only source of light being the flickering torches hung on the sandstone walls, he couldn't say that he was surprised. He would dare say he was relieved: knowing that Gaara's childhood had been even worse than his, he had expected a much more horrifying scenery. If anything, the desert dungeon theme was definitely classier than some crappy sewer.

But now was not the time to think about his or Gaara's mindscape decoration. He had to find his friend and Shukaku.

Much like his own, the jinchūriki of the Ichibi's mind proved to be a labyrinth. Naruto was mentally drawing a plan of the dimly lit dungeon, so he wouldn't get lost and fall on something he did not wish to see. If this place was anything like Kurama's prison, the Uzumaki knew that those corridors could lead him to memories or emotions Gaara had buried, perhaps unconsciously, in the deepest and darkest corners of his heart. He shuddered when he thought back on his training sessions under the Fox, which really consisted in opening those locked doors, facing what they hid, and admitting to himself that it was, indeed, part of him, as much as he wanted to deny it. It was the only way he could control them so they wouldn't overwhelm him whenever he called upon Kurama's chakra.

His steps eventually led him to a massive room, similar to the one where the Fox was caged, if not for one crucial difference.

No gigantic gates separated the bijū from his host; instead, all that restrained Shukaku was a single chain attached to the wall, linked to a rusted collar covered in kanji. A testimony of how weak the Evil Sanctuary Seal created by Chiyo and how damaged it was.

But as things were, this was more than enough to restrain the Ichibi.

Naruto had been right, Shukaku was in a pitiful shape: drained of most of his chakra, the One-Tailed Raccoon looked more like a huge pile of sand than the hulking beast the blond had fought three years before. The bijū was a crumbling mess, with cracks spreading over the entirety of his mineral body. The only thing that indicated that life was still coursing through the ruined carcass was the barely noticeable movement of his chest, provoked by the shallow breaths he managed to take, and the fluttering of his eyelids, as if Shukaku was struggling to stay awake.

The Uzumaki did not linger too much on the Ichibi's shape, but rather turned his concern towards the red-headed teen sitting in the middle of the room.

"Gaara!"

At his side in the blink of an eye, Naruto's worry grew from the Kazekage's lack of response. His eyes were open, but were looking at nothing, hazy and empty.

"Hey, wake up! You're already nappin' in the outside world!" the blond shouted, shaking Gaara's shoulder furiously.

He finally got a reaction out of his fellow jinchūriki when the redhead started to blink repeatedly, as if he had been snapped out of a daze. He slowly raised his head and blinked several more times, not sure if the whiskered blond in front of him was a product of his imagination. "...Naruto?"

The Uzumaki nodded with a smile. "Yep! It's been a while, heh?"

Instead of answering his greeting, Gaara took in his surroundings, and the crumbled form of Shukaku laying in front of them. "...where are we?"

"Oh, yeah, you probably never came here before." remarked Naruto. Considering the state of his seal, it was to be expected that Gaara had never entered his mindscape before. "Well, we're in your mind."

"My mind?" the redhead asked in a curious voice as he casted a look around.

"Yeah, your mind. This is something unique to us jinchūriki, as not only our bodies, but minds as well adjust to the presence of the bijū sealed inside us. Entering our mindscape allows us to communicate with them."

Gaara accepted the explanation with a nod. "I didn't know that. It's the first time I've come here."

Naruto scoffed. "It's not surprising. The Evil Sanctuary Seal keeping Shukaku inside you is a piece of crap. It holds him in alright, but that's it: your mind might as well be an all-you-can-eat buffet for him. It's only because he's almost out of energy that you can come here without getting possessed."

The redhead's examination came to a stop when his eyes settled on the blond. He frowned confusedly. "Then... if this is the inside of my mind... what are you doing here, Naruto?"

The Uzumaki's expression grew more serious. "I entered your mind because we have very important and very urgent matters to discuss, you, me, and-"

**"Will you two knock it off... and let me rest in peace, already?!"**

"-Shukaku."

The two jinchūriki turned towards the source of the deep, hoarse voice that still resonated against the wall of the massive chamber they were in. With obvious difficulty and accompanied by the grinding of his metallic leash, the Ichibi slowly rose until his exhausted, but hateful gaze dominated the two humans before him.

**"It's bad enough that the squint I'm sealed in was beaten by that cocky blond asshole and ended up here," **the beast growled.** "and that I got drained of almost all of my chakra, but now the fucking brat that stopped my little outing three years ago just barges in uninvited! And worst of all..."** the giant Raccoon lowered his head and took a whiff from Naruto, earning a glare from the blond. **"You smell like a fox... AND I FUCKING HATE FOXES!"**

The Uzumaki snorted. "Nice to meet you too..."

**"You're Kurama's jinchūriki, aren't you? I remember, the chakra you used back then felt a lot like his... Why don't you come a bit closer, so I can rip you to shreds and desecrate your pitiful corpse? Then I'll do the same with Gaara..."**

"Thanks, but no thanks." Naruto replied, sweat dropping. "Me and Gaara will stay right there, and we'll discuss like polite and responsible grown men... and raccoon."

**"And what makes you think I wanna talk to you?"** Shukaku growled. **"You're an arrogant little shit if you think I'll listen to you. As expected from that nine-tailed bastard's jinchūriki!"**

"Because you're in danger. We are in danger."

**"I kinda already figured that out, genius! So what of it? Humans have always craved my kind's power, what would that change that I got sucked out of the fucker I'm locked in to be enslaved by someone else? Nothing!"**

Naruto had expected that kind of reaction, and he could not blame the bijū for it. Still, he needed to get his point across: The Akatsuki would not be thwarted a second time in their hunt for the Ichibi. If he and Gaara did not cooperate, they were doomed.

The blond did not like it, but he would need to play the intimidation card against the stubborn Raccoon.

"And what if I told you that the person who wants to capture you bears the Rinnegan?"

The mention of the legendary dōjutsu had the desired effect to make the Ichibi stop his glowering and widen his eyes in astonishment. **"W-What? How do you know about the Rinnegan?"**

Naruto fought back a smirk, he knew he'd hit home since the overgrown coon looked like he'd choke on his own puke. "Because I saw it with my own eyes. The leader of the Akatsuki, the organization Deidara and Sasori, Gaara's kidnappers, belonged to possess your father's eyes."

This new statement only added to Shukaku's gob smacked state and left him speechless for a moment. Gaara capitalized on the Raccoon silence to voice his current confusion.

"I don't understand, Naruto. What it is exactly that you want us to discuss? And what is that Rinnegan you and Shukaku are talking about?"

The blond turned to the redhead, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, I should bring you up to speed before we go on any further."

He then proceeded to narrate to his redheaded brother-in-burden and Shukaku the full tale of the rescue mission organized by Suna and Konoha. Naruto put a particular emphasis on the rescue party's break out into the Akatsuki's hideout, describing to the best of his memory the eyes of the apparent leader of the criminal organization and the demonic statue they had used during the extraction of the Ichibi. He continued with the conversation he had with Kurama prior to enter Gaara's mindscape, and how the Fox was convinced that the enemy was indeed in possession of two artifacts of the very first God of Shinobi.

Neither host nor tenant had time to digest what they had just heard before Naruto added what he had revealed only to a select few: the fact that Uchiha Madara was still alive, and certainly amongst the members of the Akatsuki. This piece of intel was a sensitive one: if it were to spread, panic would soon rage among the ranks of Konoha. The legendary Uchiha, even as a mere memory, could paralyze his old foes with his name alone. A more selfish, sinister reason for Naruto to keep the fact that one of the most powerful ninja in history still roamed the surface of the Earth, aside from avoiding drowning his comrades in fear was that he wanted to keep the man responsible for his ordeals for himself and Kurama. He had promised it to the vengeful kitsune and Uzumaki Naruto never went back on his own word.

Nonetheless, Naruto would not let his own vendetta endanger one of his closest friends. The Akatsuki and Madara coveted all the bijū. The ancient Uchiha might have had a particular interest in the Kyūbi, but that did not mean that he would never go after the other nine chakra beasts. They had to be prepared for the worst.

A hushed silence fell in Shukaku's prison as Gaara and the Ichibi took the time to take in everything they had just heard. The bijū just wanted to deny it all, brush it off as impossible; another human ruse to try and scare him just so he would not resist them when they would use his power. And yet it was too much for it to be a lie: how could this blond boy know so much about his late father? Shukaku knew for a fact that the few humans who had some sort of knowledge on the Sage of the Six Paths only spewed fairy tales based on the scarce known facts on the mythical founder of ninjutsu.

And then there was that boy who claimed, as he had looked straight in his eyes, that the leader of the organization after him and his brethren bear the Rinnegan, the Sage's eyes, and captured the bijū with the use of the Jūbi's withered husk, something that should have stayed where it had been hidden for the good of all. Things that the blond should not have known about, unless, as he claimed, Kurama had told him about the Sage's deeds. Which was almost as hard to believe as someone having the Rinnegan.

And, somehow, Shukaku found himself wanting to believe Naruto. Perhaps it was the way the blond talked to him, as a sentient being rather than a mindless beast, but it stirred something inside the Raccoon, a long lost yearning and hope that he thought had slowly withered after the death of the Sage, before dying for good once his first jinchūriki, the last person to actually consider him as an equal, passed away. Yes, he told himself, there was a little something in this blond kid that reminded him of Bunpuku.

But he needed to be sure. Nearly a century of wariness and resentment towards mankind was hard to dismiss. **"Admitting that everything you just said is true, what do you gain by telling us... me, that? Why did you even bother coming in here to talk to me?"**

"Because I need allies. We need allies." Naruto answered solemnly, putting a hand on his stomach where, the Ichibi guessed, was the seal containing Kurama. "I can't really say I like you, but we're in the same boat, me, Gaara, the Fox and you. Now, knowing who and what we're up against, wouldn't you agree that setting our differences aside and teaming up is the best way to resist? If you keep messing with Gaara, instead of working alongside him, the Akatsuki will capture you. It's only a matter of time."

So he was serious. That boy was ready to set aside his animosity so they could all survive. He was ready to cooperate – a word Shukaku had almost forgotten – with the bijū, and not merely using them as a near-limitless source of chakra.

"I agree."

The Uzumaki and the Ichibi turned towards Gaara, who had been sitting in thoughtful silence for a while. If he was honest with himself, and despite the profound admiration he held for his fellow jinchūriki, the Kazekage would say that he had a hard time believing Naruto. And who wouldn't? The only thing keeping him from dismissing the Uzumaki's incredible story was his firm conviction that he would not be goofing around on such an issue.

He had rapidly understood, after convincing himself that the blond was not lying when he spoke of the resurfacing legends in the rank of the Akatsuki, where Naruto was going.

"In front of such a threat, I agree that our only hope of victory is collaboration." Gaara continued.

"In any other situation, I wouldn't be so quick to decide: I resent you, Shukaku, much like you certainly resent me. But Naruto is right: we are fighting the same battle, and we should learn to cooperate, for the greater good."

The Uzumaki grinned widely, before turning his eyes back towards the weakened bijū, waiting for an answer. Gaara, too, was looking expectantly at the bijū.

The Ichibi returned his host's gaze for a long moment, gauging him. He hadn't expected him to react like this; it was Shukaku's power that drove Rasa to condemn his unborn son to a life of solitude and misery, it was Shukaku's power that brought Gaara to the brink of insanity and pushed him to murder comrades and foes alike, and it was because of that dark past that a few in Suna were still distrustful of their Kazekage.

And yet here he was now, willing to make a truce with the bijū who had caused him so much pain, for the greater good.

Shukaku found himself thinking – no, wishing – that, perhaps, there were a few humans who could maybe, just maybe, rekindle his belief in his old man's words of so long ago.

**"I guess I don't have a choice... fighting with you is more appealing than ending up in that creepy pile of shit that's the Jūbi's husk. Fine then! We've got a deal, maggots. Now, could you please fuck off somewhere else so I can have a nap?"**

* * *

The exit felt just as laborious as the entrance had, but Naruto nonetheless managed to find his way back into his body. He opened his eyes, and was greeted by the sight of a blue and radiant sky and the worried face of a retired puppeteer.

"You're finally back. How are you? How his the Kazekage? How did it go?" asked Chiyo rapidly.

Naruto took a moment to rub his stiff neck – he had fell into an uncomfortable position upon entering Gaara's mindscape, and the elder kunoichi, not wanting to interfere in the Uzumaki endeavor, had not dared even touch him – before answering.

"I'm fine. He's alright." His face then split into a triumphant smile. "And it went smoothly!"

Chiyo's eyes widened in astonishment. "You mean...?"

"Yep! We've got Shukaku on our side now, even if he's not really happy about it."

The old puppeteer sat still, staring at the blond jinchūriki in bewilderment. Despite her newfound respect and admiration for this young man, she had not believed in his chances to rally the Ichibi to their cause - especially not by talking to him. The Shinobi world was rarely forgiving for those who wished to discuss rather than wage war. Only when a clear victor was decided did talks with the defeated were even vaguely considered, never between two belligerents who had yet to spill a single drop of blood. That was the world Chiyo was raised in.

Likewise, when Bunpuku had died, it was the past Kazekage who had tried to tame Shukaku with their Magnet Release before sealing it in the next jinchūriki, and who would subdue him whenever he got free from his host.

And here was Naruto, who with words and wishes of cooperation instead of domination, had succeeded where they had failed.

_'Perhaps the saying is true, after all.' _Chiyo found herself musing. _'The next generation will surpass the previous one...'_

"Now that's done, all that's left to do is fixing Gaara's seal." the blond said, preparing his brush and ink. "And who know, maybe you'll learn a thing or two from me in fūinjutsu!"

The puppeteer smiled as she took out her own sealing set. _'You already taught me something valuable today, Naruto-san. Something I had forgotten long ago. To hope.'_

* * *

It took the young shinobi and the old kunoichi a couple of hours to fix Gaara's seal and turn it into a perfect Evil Sanctuary one. Naruto was pretty happy with himself, but not as much as Chiyo was. The Suna Elder was feeling light, the phantom weight that had burdened her shoulders for so many years had been lifted, even if only partially. Gaara was still a jinchūriki, but no more would the Ichibi plague his every waking moment, and the power of the bijū would be put to good use.

The Kazekage, however, was still unconscious, though some color had come back on his face. A quick examination by Sakura, once Naruto and Chiyo had joined back with their team and the freshly arrived reinforcements, told them that his chakra was replenishing nicely, and that he should be awake by the time the rescue party would reach Suna.

The nine shinobi started their trip back to the Land of Wind shortly after, at a much slower pace than they had made their way to the Land of Rivers the day before, to ease up the trip for the three wounded and tired members of Team Seven and Chiyo - something Gai and Lee had difficulties to abide by.

Their arrival to Suna five days later was spectacular. The entirety of the village's population was massed at the gate, cheering for their Kazekage and for the Konoha nin who had saved him. Civilians and ninja alike were present, and quickly the rescue party found themselves surrounded by overjoyed and grateful Suna denizens. Naruto, who was the one holding Gaara, still too weak to walk on his own, was almost swallowed by the crowd – mostly composed of women, he noted – who wanted to greet their leader and thank the man who had saved him. A few of them were particularly insistent, if not downright frisky, and the Uzumaki would have flickered away to save Gaara's virtue if not for a brown haired girl – he was sure he had met before, but for the life of him could not remember her name, as if he had seen her in one of those irrelevant episodes that plague successful long-running shows - who was taking care of the most rabid women in a rather brutal and vicious way while still looking pretty content with herself. (Beta starts laughing at this reference.)

They managed to make it through the crowd thanks to Temari, who was quick to lead them to the hospital, where rooms had been prepared in advance for Gaara and the Konoha ninja. The following day, Naruto was sitting beside the bed of an awakened Kazekage, who, despite feeling much better, still had difficulties molding chakra after the near-full extraction of Shukaku and the modification of his seal, and kept the bed as a precaution – and because Temari had threatened to knock him out if he tried to leave the hospital before he was back to full strength.

"So, how are things going between you and the oversized rat?" asked the blond.

"Rather well. He hasn't threatened to kill me since you've entered my mindscape, which is a good sign, I think. However, he is rather unhappy at being called a rat. He insists that you stop and call him by his name or by his title." the Kazekage answered.

Naruto raised a brow skeptically. "He really said that?"

"No, I gave you the literary version."

The Uzumaki chuckled, which in turn made the Kazekage smile. Having a casual conversation with a friend – if 'casual' could be the term used when bijū were the topic of said conversation – was a relaxing change to the seemingly unending flow of visit from councilors and tribe chieftains or the awkward moments spent with Shukaku in his mindscape.

Sadly, these breaks would soon come to an end.

"You and your fellow Leaf-nin are going back to Konoha tomorrow, right?" Gaara said, already knowing the answer.

Naruto's laugh subsided, replaced by an unusual solemn expression. "Yeah, I would've liked to stay a bit more here, but we've collected critical intel on both the Akatsuki and Orochimaru during our mission, and we've got to inform Bā- I mean the Hokage."

Gaara nodded. Ever since his coronation as Kazekage, he had come to realize how precious information truly were, even more so than raw power or advantage in numbers. "Understandable. We'll have to wait for more peaceful time, or until you finally become Hokage to have more time to talk."

"Heh, don't worry, I'm going to take that hat off Tsunade's head in no time!" Naruto boasted loudly, earning him a scolding from a passing nurse.

The redhead's smile found its way back on his lips. "You're preaching to a believer."

* * *

The masked man stood in the middle of the crater that had once been a peaceful clearing in the middle of the woods of the Land of Rivers, looking at the broken body laying at his feet. Next to him, coming out of the charred ground, was a Venus flytrap enveloping a curious black and white head.

The man was in a foul mood. Usually, he would play the role of a lunatic fool, to mislead potential enemies or to simply seek some sort of entertainment in the bleak world of ninja, but not now. Not after seeing for himself what his most coveted was able to do, nor hearing what his companion had just reported to him.

"Repeat that again. I want to be absolutely sure."

The white half of the head popping out of the ground gulped audibly, before doing as ordered. "The jinchūriki of the Kyūbi had the upper hand the whole fight. He tricked Deidara with a clone, before summoning strange masked creatures that completely overpowered his adversary. And then... and then he asked Deidara if he knew anything about the Rinnegan or... or about Madara."

The man clenched his fist, and the Sharingan visible by the one hole in the orange swirling mask started to spin furiously.

He did not understand.

He was trying to make sense of the vegetal being's report. How could he know about the Rinnegan? More importantly, how could he know about Madara?

Was it Jiraiya? It could explain the Rinnegan, since the Sage had taught Nagato, but the rogue Uzumaki was officially dead. And even then, for anyone else was either a myth or something they had never heard about. However, there was absolutely no way he could possibly know of the true conclusion of the century old duel at the Valley of the End.

The Kyūbi? Highly unlikely. The Fox could not know about the end of the battle between Madara and Hashirama either.

The masked man sighed. It was no use trying to understand how Naruto knew. He knew, and that was all that mattered. He needed to act accordingly to the enemy's unexpected level and intel.

He crouched next to Deidara's corpse, took the Akatsuki ring bearing the "ao" kanji from his right index finger, and stayed still for a while, observing the scavenged piece of jewelry absently.

"What are you going to do now, Obito?" asked the head in a different voice than before, that seemingly came from the black half.

Obito took a moment to answer. "I need to change our plans, Zetsu, and I need to find some new recruits. Losing both Sasori and Deidara hit us hard. All of that, because of the Kyūbi."

"Yes, it seems that Itachi was wrong about him."

_'Or that he purposefully lied... but no matter.'_ the masked Uchiha thought. _'My dream will eventually come true, nothing will stand in my way. Certainly not you, Uzumaki Naruto. I'll take great pleasure in shattering your every __dreams and __aspiration__s__ before taking the Fox from your broken body.'_

* * *

**Omake: Tsunade's pie**

To celebrate Naruto and Jiraiya's return to Konoha, the Sage had decided to invite the Hokage and her assistant to dinner. Being as good a cook as Minato had been at naming his original techniques, dishes and drinks from the fanciest restaurants to mark the occasion accordingly. Absolutely not in a vain attempt to woo his old teammate.

It was an excited Naruto that opened the door to let the two women in. Tsunade looked quite happy herself, while Shizune seemed apprehensive, if not scared.

"Just in time, bā-chan, nee-chan! The food just arrived!"

"All we're lacking now are strippers! But maybe, Tsunade-hime, you could do something about it..." Jiraiya said, appearing behind his godson in the hallway.

"In your dreams, idiot." retorted the Hokage. "However, since it's a special occasion, I did bring something special."

Not one to let the suspense build up, Tsunade revealed what she had been holding and hiding under a napkin. "I baked a pie!"

Shizune looked even more terrified when the object came to light. Jiraiya's face turned white.

Oblivious to those ominous reactions, Naruto was beyond ecstatic. He could count on one hand the instances when someone had baked him something – Ichiraku not counting.

When the time had come to finally taste Tsunade's pie, the Uzumaki's enthusiasm had died down, several times over. Jiraiya was muttering something only Naruto could hear, something that sounded like "Even worse than Shima." Shizune looked like she was about to break down in tears.

Tsunade herself was smiling proudly, apparently unaware of the torture she was putting the other three through.

"So, how do you find it? Not bad, huh?"

Shizune nodded, which apparently was not a good idea if her quickly putting her hand in front of her mouth was any indication.

Naruto quickly came up with a meek "I've never eaten anything like that before", which was technically not a lie.

Jiraiya only gave a thumb-up.

Somehow, Tsunade bought it all. "Fantastic! Then I'll make more in the future! I actually enjoy baking a lot, it's relaxing! It's been a while since I've done it and I'm a bit rusty. I trust you three will sample my pies and cakes while I practice."

And that was how began the tradition of conveniently forgetting to invite Tsunade for dinner in Konoha. The only one who ever asked for the Hokage's pies was Ibiki, who had found in those pastries a brand new torture device. When a criminal in custody of the Torture and Interrogation department of Konoha was told he would get some cake, he knew his last hour had come.

* * *

**Again, thank you all for reading, and very special thanks to Werejaguar of Halloween Town for her jolly cooperation as beta-reader and being super cool in general.  
**

**Don't forget that the sky and the cosmos are one, and to review too!**


	12. All Apologies

**Oh boy, an update, finally!**

**Yeah! Now let me crush your expectations into fine dust to be blown by the wind!**

**It has been a while, but as you know if you actually took the time to read my notes in the last chapter (and I understand if you didn't, because it's boring and I speak mostly nonsense anyway) I was in Ireland for two months, taking an internship, which left me little time to do much, and what little time I had I spent it with friends, travelling around and drinking.**

**And when I came back, I spent my time playing Dark Souls 3, until I got bored of it, which happened way too fast compared to the rest of the series, because frankly it just isn't as good, but I digress. By now you'll have figured that my mind wasn't really on writing. But when it came back to it, and after going over what my notes and what I had already published, I felt... disappointed with this story.**

**Maybe it has to do with me distancing myself from the manga and the fandom, reading other, much better stories and actual books, or simply realizing that maybe I suck big time, but I simply can't find the motivation to keep writing What He Wants To Protect.**

**Which means that I'm a filthy liar and that I am indeed abandoning this story.**

**I already see you wishing me great physical pain and to choke on phallic objects, and I wouldn't blame you. All I can say is that my standards of writing have simply raised, and that I am too lazy to rewrite what is already published or to modify the intended direction this story was about to take. **

**And that I am very sorry, of course.**

**However, that does not mark the end of me writing stories, because I have another one in the making right now. It'll be a Naruto fanfic too, but very different from this one. There are some details on my profile page if you're interested and haven't already blocked me for life.**

**And if one of you is interested in adopting this story, feel free to PM me.**

**Again, I am sorry. You're probably disappointed or angry at me (or maybe you secretly wished for it to happen all along), and I am too. As a first story, What He Wants To Protect was way too ambitious.**

**I still would like to express my thanks for every one of you who have find this story entertaining enough to follow and/or favourite it, and for all of your reviews. I did not expect this story to get that popular, which makes it all the more upsetting to drop it.**

**A special thank you to Werejaguar of Halloween Town for beta reading and putting up with this edgelord, and to Ziltoid for his feedback and the brainstorming that sometimes goes way too far.**

**Unleash the well-deserved sodium.**

**PS: Berserk 2016 is bad! BAD!**


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